The Celebrity Archaeology PodcastSat, 20 Oct 2018 15:46:40 +0000Thu, 15 Nov 2018 21:28:18 +0000Libsyn WebEngine 2.0http://celebrityarchaeology.com
enhttp://celebrityarchaeology.comcelebrityarchaeology@gmail.com (celebrityarchaeology@gmail.com)http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/8/a/d/c/8adc1abcbc8604aa/CC.jpgThe Celebrity Archaeology PodcastAdam Scull, Expert On Celebrity Archaeology Photographyadamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeologycleanCelebrityArchaeology@gmail.comUSCA PODCAST EPISODE 75 - Myrna LoySat, 20 Oct 2018 15:46:40 +0000While Myrna Loy was dancing in prologues at the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, portrait photographer Henry Waxman took several pictures of her that were noticed by Rudolph Valentino when the actor went to Waxman's studio for a sitting. Valentino was looking for a leading lady for Cobra, the first independent project he and his wife Natacha Rambova were producing. Loy tested for the role, which went to Gertrude Olmstead instead, but soon after she was hired as an extra for Pretty Ladies (1925), in which she and fellow newcomer Joan Crawford were among a bevy of chorus girls dangling from an elaborate chandelier.]]>06:17cleanadamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,paparazzi,photolink,repost,showbiz,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 74 - James CagneyWed, 03 Oct 2018 14:31:29 +0000In his first professional acting performance, James Cagney danced costumed as a woman in the chorus line of the revue Every Sailor, in 1919. He spent several years in vaudeville as a dancer and comedian, until he got his first major acting part in 1925. He secured several other roles, receiving good notices, before landing the lead in the 1929 play Penny Arcade. After rave reviews, Warner Bros. signed him for an initial $500-a-week, three-week contract to reprise his role; this was quickly extended to a seven-year contract.]]>07:23cleanadamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 73 - Frankie ValliSun, 23 Sep 2018 20:47:26 +0000Frankie Valli began his singing career in the early 1950s with A Variety Trio. Valli's desire to sing in public was initially granted when, having heard Valli sing, the group offered him a guest spot when the group performed. In late 1952, the Variety Trio disbanded and Valli, along with Tommy DeVito, became part of the house band at The Strand in New Brunswick, New Jersey. For his part, Valli played bass and sang.]]>09:23cleanadamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 72 - Bea ArthurMon, 17 Sep 2018 18:32:57 +0000In 1971, Arthur was invited by Norman Lear to guest-star on his sitcom All in the Family, as Maude Findlay, the cousin of Edith Bunker. An outspoken liberal feminist, Maude was the antithesis role to the conservative Republican character Archie Bunker, who described her as a "New Deal fanatic". Nearly 50, Arthur's tart turn on All in the Family impressed viewers as well as executives at CBS who, she would later recall, asked "'Who is that girl? Let's give her her own series.’"]]>08:17cleanactress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 71 - Jodie FosterSun, 09 Sep 2018 23:15:53 +0000Born in Los Angeles, Foster was a gifted child who learned to read at the age of three. She attended a French-language prep school, the Lycée Français in Los Angeles. Her fluency in French has enabled her to act in French films, and she also dubs herself in French-language versions of most of her English-language films.

Foster's career began with an appearance as the Coppertone girl in a television advertisement in 1965, when she was only three years old.

]]>12:03cleanadamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 70 - Gloria VanderbiltSat, 01 Sep 2018 16:15:43 +0000Gloria Vanderbilt was married to author Wyatt Emory Cooper, on 24 December 1963. She was his only wife. The marriage, which lasted 15 years, ended with his death in 1978 while undergoing open-heart surgery. They had two sons: Carter Vanderbilt Cooper who committed suicide at age 23 by jumping from the family's 14th-floor apartment. and Anderson Hays Cooper, the CNN news anchor.]]>10:26cleanadamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 69 - George MichaelSat, 25 Aug 2018 14:54:40 +0000George Michael formed the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. The band's first album Fantastic reached No. 1 in the UK in 1983 and produced a series of top 10 singles including "Young Guns", "Wham Rap!" and "Club Tropicana". Their second album, Make It Big, reached No. 1 on the charts in the US. Singles from that album included "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (No. 1 in the UK and US), "Freedom", "Everything She Wants", and "Careless Whisper" which reached No. 1 in nearly 25 countries, including the UK and US, and was Michael's first solo effort as a single. In 1985 Michael received the first of his three Ivor Novello Awards for Songwriter of the Year from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.]]>12:06cleanadamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 69 - George MichaelSat, 25 Aug 2018 14:54:39 +0000George Michael formed the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. The band's first album Fantastic reached No. 1 in the UK in 1983 and produced a series of top 10 singles including "Young Guns", "Wham Rap!" and "Club Tropicana". Their second album, Make It Big, reached No. 1 on the charts in the US. Singles from that album included "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (No. 1 in the UK and US), "Freedom", "Everything She Wants", and "Careless Whisper" which reached No. 1 in nearly 25 countries, including the UK and US, and was Michael's first solo effort as a single. In 1985 Michael received the first of his three Ivor Novello Awards for Songwriter of the Year from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.]]>adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 68 - Cybill ShepherdSun, 19 Aug 2018 15:35:47 +0000Her first film was The Last Picture Show, also starring Jeff Bridges and Timothy Bottoms. The film became a critical and box office hit, earning several Academy Awards and nominations. Shepherd was nominated for a Golden Globe. Shepherd was cast opposite Charles Grodin in The Heartbreak Kid (1972). She played Kelly, the beautiful, sun-kissed young woman for whom Grodin's character falls while on his honeymoon in Miami. Directed by Elaine May, it was another critical and box office hit.]]>09:45cleanadamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 67 - Jessica SimpsonFri, 10 Aug 2018 15:09:11 +0000Jessica Ann Johnson, known as Jessica Simpson; born July 10, 1980, is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. Simpson signed a recording contract with Columbia Records when she was sixteen, and released her debut studio album Sweet Kisses in 1999. It sold over four million copies worldwide, and spawned the top three song "I Wanna Love You Forever" (1999).]]>08:15cleanCA PODCAST EPISODE 66 - Perry ComoFri, 03 Aug 2018 14:46:36 +0000Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with it in 1943. "Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records for Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show, which set the standards for the genre and proved to be one of the most successful in television history. Bing Crosby once described him as, "the man who invented casual”.]]>09:03cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewereCA PODCAST EPISODE 65 - Robert RedfordSun, 29 Jul 2018 15:35:41 +0000Redford began acting on television in the early 1960s. He earned an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Voice of Charlie Pont in 1962.

Between 1974 and 1976, exhibitors voted Redford Hollywood's top box-office name. His hits included The Great Gatsby (1974), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), and Three Days of the Condor (1975).

]]>11:34cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewerePODCAST EPISODE 64 - Don AmecheTue, 24 Jul 2018 19:37:56 +0000Don Ameche played so many roles based on real people that on one of his radio broadcasts, Fred Allen joked, "Pretty soon, Don Ameche will be playing Don Ameche." Soon afterwards, in It's in the Bag! (1945), which starred Allen, Ameche indeed played himself in a bit part.]]>09:35cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewerePODCAST EPISODE 63 - Karen BlackFri, 20 Jul 2018 00:35:50 +0000Karen Black made her Broadway debut in 1965's The Playroom, which received good reviews and for which she was nominated for a Drama Circle Critic Award for Best Actress. Her film debut was in The Prime Time (1960) and her first big role was in You're a Big Boy Now (1966), directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Her feature film career expanded in 1969, playing the role of an acid-tripping prostitute opposite Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in the iconic counterculture movie Easy Rider. In 1970, Black appeared as Rayette, the waitress girlfriend of Jack Nicholson, in the film Five Easy Pieces, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and earned her her first Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress-Motion Picture. She also won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.

]]>08:14cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewerePODCAST EPISODE 62 - Tennessee WilliamsTue, 17 Jul 2018 23:30:20 +0000Tennessee Williams, along with Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, is considered among the three foremost playwrights of 20th-century American drama. After years of obscurity, he suddenly became famous with The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.]]>08:57cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewerePODCAST EPISODE 61- Dennis WeaverMon, 16 Jul 2018 01:09:17 +0000Dennis Weaver was an American actor best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s to not long before his death in 2006. Weaver's two most notable roles were as Marshal Matt Dillon's trusty partner Chester Goode on the CBS western Gunsmoke and as Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama McCloud.]]>09:53cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewerePODCAST EPISODE 60 - Vanessa RedgraveSat, 14 Jul 2018 02:04:30 +0000Vanessa Redgrave comes from a British acting dynasty.

She rose to prominence in 1961 and was ranked as the ninth greatest stage actor/actress of all time. Redgrave was proclaimed by Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams as "the greatest living actress of our times", and has won the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, BAFTA, Olivier, Cannes, Golden Globe, and the Screen Actors Guild awards.

]]>10:36cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewerePODCAST EPISODE 59 - Malcolm McDowellWed, 11 Jul 2018 00:43:15 +0000In a career spanning over 50 years, McDowell has played varied film roles across different genres as a character actor. He is perhaps best known for the controversial roles of Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971).]]>09:00cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewerePODCAST EPISODE 58 - Edie Adams, Chanteuse & SexpotSun, 08 Jul 2018 16:50:33 +0000Edie Adams first audition: I sang the only three songs I knew during the audition, and if they had asked to hear another, I never would have made it!

After husband Ernie Kovacs died, she remained the pitch-lady for Muriel Cigars well after Kovacs' death, intoning in a Mae West style and sexy outfit, "Why don't you pick one up and smoke it sometime?

]]>08:21cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,paparazzi,photolink,thewaywewerePODCAST EPISODE 57 - Morgan FairchildFri, 06 Jul 2018 18:58:34 +0000Morgan Fairchild was made for television. Starting on a daytime soap, she made her way to the ever popular nighttime soap Falcon Crest for one season, and continued her television acting journey without looking back.]]>09:02cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,socialselling,tvstars,vintagecelebrityphotographyPODCAST EPISODE 56 - Lara Flynn BoyleTue, 03 Jul 2018 18:08:17 +0000From Twin Peaks to Men In Black II, Lara Flynn Boyle has hit it from one end of the acting spectrum to the other. Lara's characters are filled with flavor and memorable moments. Hear about Lara on the Celebrity Archaeology Podcast.]]>09:19cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,culturalheritage,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,tasters,vintagecelebrityphotographyPODCAST EPISODE 55 - Mariah Carey - Songbird SupremeSun, 01 Jul 2018 17:54:20 +0000Referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by the Guinness World Records, she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, vocal power, melismatic style, and signature use of the whistle register.

In 2012, she was ranked second on VH1's list of the 100 greatest female artists in music history.

]]>07:11cleanPODCAST EPISODE 54 - Drew BarrymoreSat, 30 Jun 2018 02:47:51 +0000Born into an acting dynasty, Drew Barrymore had more than her fair share of troubles as a youngest and teen, but turned out so well later on, that she became of of the most bankable starts in Hollywood.

Hear about Drew on this episode of the Celebrity Archaeology Podcast.

]]>14:18cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,culturalheritage,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,tasters,vintagecelebrityphotographyPODCAST EPISODE 53 - Peter AllenFri, 29 Jun 2018 00:24:48 +0000Did you know that Peter Allen was Liza Minnelli's first husband?Did you know that he co-write I Honestly Love you, that Olivia Newton-John made a Number 1 hit with?Do you know where one of his most famous lyrics came from? (If you get caught between the moon and New York City)

Hear about it on this episode of the Celebrity Archaeology Podcast.

]]>11:47cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,culturalheritage,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,tvstars,vintagecelebrityphotographyPODCAST EPISODE 52 - Lena HorneWed, 27 Jun 2018 16:30:14 +0000Lena Horne started out in 1933 as a chorus girl at the Cotton Club at age 16, went to Hollywood but became disenchanted with making movies and eventually became one of the premier nightclub performers of the post-war era.

Hear about Lena Horne on this condensed episode of the Celebrity Archaeology Podcast.

]]>10:25cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,socialselling,tvstars,vintagecelebrityphotographyPODCAST EPISODE 51 - Larry HagmanMon, 25 Jun 2018 23:49:12 +0000From the critically acclaimed dramatic role in the Henry Fonda movie Failsafe, to one of tv's most villainous characters in the form of J.R. Ewing in the tv soap Dallas, Larry Hagman will forever be remembered as the villainous J.R. The Who Done It episode, (for the world to find out who shot JR in the season 4 finale), will go down in tv history as the most asked question (Who Shot J.R.?). It took three weeks until the culprit was revealed on November 21, 1980, in a ratings record-breaking episode. Hear about it on this condensed episode of the Celebrity Archaeology Podcast.

Hear about how Donna Mills became one of tv's greatest female villains on this condensed episode of the Celebrity Archaeology Podcast.

]]>08:53cleanPODCAST EPISODE 49 - Tom WolfeSun, 24 Jun 2018 01:25:15 +0000On May 14, 2018, we lost one of our most prolific authors, Tom Wolfe, whose first novel "The Bonfire of the Vanities was a critical and financial success. The Bonfire of the Vanities was published in 1987 and was a satirical novel by Tom Wolfe. The story is a drama about ambition, racism, social class, politics, and greed in 1980s New York City. Hear about Tom Wolfe on this condensed episode of the Celebrity Archaeology Podcast.]]>10:38cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,lcelebrityarchaeology,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,socialselling,tvstars,vintagecelebrityphotographyPODCAST EPISODE 48 - Kirk DouglasSat, 23 Jun 2018 01:13:11 +0000Did you know that Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch and that his parents were Jewish emigrants from Chavusy, Mogilev Region, in the Russian Empire (present-day Belarus) and the family spoke Yiddish at home? Hear about it on the Celebrity Archaeology Podcast.

]]>12:46cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,culturalheritage,famous,hollywood,johnbarrett,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,tvstars,vintagecelebrityphotographyPODCAST EPISODE 47 - Calista FlockhartThu, 21 Jun 2018 01:48:27 +0000Come along with me as we make this short discovery of Harrison Ford’s wife, Calista Flockhart, who went from being an aerobics instructor to the new iteration of feminism, due to her lead role in Ally McBeal.]]>08:41cleanPODCAST EPISODE 46 - Jackie GleasonMon, 18 Jun 2018 21:14:10 +0000John Herbert Gleason, better known as Jackie Gleason, was born on February 26, 1916. He was an American comedian, actor, writer, composer and conductor. Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy, exemplified by his bus driver Ralph Kramden character in the television series The Honeymooners. By filming the episodes with the DuMont’s Electronicam, Gleason was later able to release the series in syndication, which increased its popularity over the years with new audiences. He also developed The Jackie Gleason Show, which maintained high ratings from the mid-1950s through 1970. After originating in New York City, filming moved to Miami, Florida, in 1964 after Gleason took up permanent residence there.]]>22:08cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,socialselling,tvstars,vintagecelebrityphotographyPODCAST EPISODE 45 - The Divine Miss MFri, 15 Jun 2018 23:08:58 +0000﻿﻿﻿Bette Midler, born December 1, 1945, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, comedian, and film producer. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Midler began her professional career in several Off-Off-Broadway plays, prior to her engagements in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths, a local gay bathhouse where she managed to build up a core following. Since 1970, Midler has released 14 studio albums as a solo artist. Throughout her career, many of her songs became hits on the record charts, including her renditions of "The Rose", "Wind Beneath My Wings", "Do You Want to Dance", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", and "From a Distance". In 2008, she signed a contract with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to perform a show titled Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On, which ended in 2010. Midler made her motion picture debut in 1979 with The Rose, which earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress, as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has since starred in a number of hit films, which include: Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Big Business (1988), Beaches (1988), Hocus Pocus (1993), The First Wives Club (1996), The Stepford Wives (2004), and Parental Guidance (2012). She also starred in For the Boys. Personal life Bette Midler was born in Honolulu, where her family was one of the few Jewish families in a mostly Asian neighborhood. Her mother, Ruth, was a seamstress and housewife, and her father, Fred Midler worked at a Navy base in Hawaii as a painter, and was also a housepainter. Both parents were born in New Jersey. She was named after actress Bette Davis, though Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. She was raised in Aiea and attended Radford High School, in Honolulu. She was voted "Most Talkative" in the 1961 school Hoss Election, and "Most Dramatic" in her senior year (class of 1963). Midler majored in drama at the University of Hawaii at Manoa but left after three semesters. She earned money in the 1966 film Hawaii as an extra, playing an uncredited seasick passenger named Miss David Buff. Midler married artist Martin von Haselberg on December 16, 1984, about six weeks after their first meeting. Their daughter, Sophie von Haselberg, who is also an actress, was born on November 14, 1986. Career Theater Midler with Dustin Hoffman on Bette Midler's TV special (1977)Midler relocated to New York City in the summer of 1965, using money from her work in the film Hawaii. She landed her first professional onstage role in Tom Eyen's Off-Off-Broadway plays in 1965, Miss Nefertiti Regrets and Cinderella Revisited, a children's play by day and an adult show by night. From 1966 to 1969, she played the role of Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway. After Fiddler, she joined the original cast of Salvation in 1969. She began singing at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in the Ansonia Hotel, in the summer of 1970. During this time, she became close to her piano accompanist, Barry Manilow, who produced her first album in 1972, The Divine Miss M. It was during her time at the Continental Baths that she built up a core following. In the late 1990s, during the release of her album Bathhouse Betty, Midler commented on her time performing there, "Despite the way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I'm still proud of those days. I feel like I was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, and I hope I did my part to help it move forward. So, I kind of wear the label of 'Bathhouse Betty' with pride.” Midler starred in the first professional production of the Who's rock opera Tommy in 1971, with director Richard Pearlman and the Seattle Opera. It was during the run of Tommy that Midler first appeared on The Tonight Show. 1972–1980: The Divine Miss M and success [caption id="attachment_2104" align="alignleft" width="235"] Midler with Dustin Hoffman on Bette Midler's TV special (1977)[/caption] Midler released her debut album, The Divine Miss M, on Atlantic Records in December 1972. The album was co-produced by Barry Manilow, who was Bette's arranger and music conductor at the time. It reached Billboard's Top 10 and became a million-selling Platinum-certified album, earning Midler the 1973 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. It featured three hit singles—"Do You Wanna Dance?", "Friends", and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"—the third of which became Midler's first No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit. "Bugle Boy" became a successful rock cover of the classic swing tune originally introduced and popularized in 1941 by the famous Andrews Sisters, to whom Midler has repeatedly referred as her idols and inspiration, as far back as her first appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Midler told Carson in an interview that she always wanted to move like the sisters, and Patty Andrews remembered: "When I first heard the introduction on the radio, I thought it was our old record. When Bette opened at the Amphitheater in Los Angeles, Maxene and I went backstage to see her. Her first words were, 'What else did you record?” During another Midler concert, Maxene went on stage and presented her with an honorary bugle. Bette recorded other Andrews Sisters hits, including "In the Mood" and "Lullaby of Broadway". Her self-titled follow-up album was released at the end of 1973. Again, the album was co-produced by Manilow. It reached Billboard's Top 10 and eventually sold close to a million copies in the United States alone. Midler returned to recording with the 1976 and 1977 albums, Songs for the New Depression and Broken Blossom. In 1974, she received a Special Tony Award for her contribution to Broadway, with Clams on the Half Shell Revue playing at the Minskoff Theater. From 1975–1978, she also provided the voice of Woody the Spoon on the PBS educational series Vegetable Soup. In 1977, Midler's first television special, whose title, Ol' Red Hair is Back, was a takeoff on Frank Sinatra's Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back, premiered, featuring guest stars Dustin Hoffman and Emmett Kelly. It went on to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Special — Comedy-Variety or Music. Midler made her first motion picture in 1979, starring in the 1960s-era rock and roll tragedy The Rose, as a drug-addicted rock star modeled after Janis Joplin.That year, she also released her fifth studio album, Thighs and Whispers. Midler's first foray into disco was a commercial and critical failure and went on to be her all-time lowest charting album, peaking at No. 65 on the Billboard album chart. Soon afterward, she began a world concert tour, with one of her shows in Pasadena being filmed and released as the concert film Divine Madness (1980). Her performance in The Rose earned her a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actress, a role for which she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress (Comedy or Musical). The film's acclaimed soundtrack album sold over two million copies in the United States alone, earning a Double Platinum certification. The single version of the title song, which Amanda McBroom had written and composed, held the No. 1 position on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart for five consecutive weeks and reached No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100. It earned Midler her first Gold single and won the Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. 1981–1989: "Wind Beneath My Wings", Beaches, and chartcomeback Midler worked on the troubled comedy project Jinxed! in 1981. However, during production, there was friction with co-star Ken Wahl and the film's director, Don Siegel. Released in 1982, the film was a major flop. Midler did not appear in any other films until 1986. During those four years, she concentrated on her music career and in 1983, released the album No Frills, produced by Chuck Plotkin, who was best known for his work with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. The album included three single releases: the ballad "All I Need to Know", a cover of Detroit native Marshall Crenshaw's "You're My Favorite Waste of Time"—which Midler fell in love with after flipping his 45 of "Someday Someway"—and Midler's take on the Rolling Stones cover "Beast of Burden". She also released an all-comedy album (with a few songs tied into the comedy) called "Mud Will Be Flung Tonight" in 1985. Midler performed on USA for Africa's 1985 fund-raising single "We Are the World", and participated at the Live Aid event at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Also in 1985, she signed a multi-picture deal with the Walt Disney Studios, where she starred in a string of successful films produced by the studio's newly formed Touchstone Pictures division. She also produced them through her production banner, All Girl Productions with producing partner Bonnie Bruckheimer. She was cast by director Paul Mazursky in Down and Out in Beverly Hills, beginning a successful comedic acting career. She followed that role with several more Touchstone comedies, Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), and Big Business (1988). Later in 1988, Midler lent her voice to the animated character Georgette, a snobbish poodle, in Disney's Oliver & Company, and had a hit with the tearjerker Beaches, co-starring Barbara Hershey. The accompanying soundtrack remains Midler's all-time biggest selling disc, reaching No. 2 on Billboard's album chart and with U.S. sales of four million copies. It featured her biggest hit, "Wind Beneath My Wings", which went to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, achieved Platinum status, and won Midler her third Grammy Award – for Record of the Year – at the 1990 telecast. Midler won two additional Golden Globe Awards and receiving a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the former. In a career spanning almost half a century, Midler has won three Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards, and two Tony Awards. She has sold over 30 million records worldwide, and has received four Gold, three Platinum, and three Multiplatinum albums by RIAA. Midler’s latest work included appearing on Broadway in a revival of Hello, Dolly!, which began preview performances on March 15, 2017 and premiered at the Shubert Theatre on April 20, 2017. It was her first leading role in a Broadway musical. On June 11, 2017, Midler received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the title role in Hello, Dolly!. 2000–2005: Bette sitcom, tribute albums, and Kiss My Brass tour Midler starred in her own sitcom in 2000, Bette, which featured Midler playing herself, a divine celebrity who is adored by her fans. Airing on CBS, initial ratings were high, marking the best sitcom debut for the network in more than five years, but viewers percentage soon declined, resulting in the show's cancellation in early 2001. Midler openly griped about the show's demanding shooting schedule, while the show itself was also reportedly rocked by backstage turmoil, involving the replacement of co-star Kevin Dunn whose departure was attributed to his behind-the scenes bickering with Midler by the media. However, Midler, critically praised, was awarded a People's Choice Award for her performance in the show and received a Golden Globe Award nomination the following year. Also in 2000, Midler made an uncredited cameo appearance in Nancy Meyers' fantasy rom–com What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. In the film, she portrayed a therapist who realizes that central character Nick, played by Gibson, is able to understand women's thoughts. Released to generally mixed reviews, it became the then-most successful film ever directed by a woman, taking in $183 million in the United States, and grossing upward of $370 million worldwide. The same year Midler starred in Isn't She Great and Drowning Mona. In Andrew Bergman's Isn't She Great, a highly fictionalized account of the life and career of author Jacqueline Susann, she played alongside Nathan Lane and Stockard Channing, portraying Susann with her early struggles as an aspiring actress relentlessly hungry for fame, her relationship with press agent Irving Mansfield, her success as the author of Valley of the Dolls, and her battle with and subsequent death from breast cancer. The comedy garnered largely negative reviews by critics, who dismissed it as "bland material that produces entirely forgettable comic performances.” For her performance in the film, Midler received her second Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actress at the 21st ceremony. In Nick Gomez's dark comedy Drowning Mona, Midler appeared along with Danny DeVito and Jamie Lee Curtis, playing title character Mona Dearly, a spiteful, loud-mouthed, cruel and highly unpopular woman, whose mysterious death is investigated. Another critical fiasco, reviewers noted that the film "drowns itself in humor that never rises above sitcom level." After nearly three decades of erratic record sales, Midler was dropped from the Warner Music Group in 2001. Following a reported long-standing feud with Barry Manilow, the two joined forces after many years in 2003 to record Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook. Now signed to Columbia Records, the album was an instant success, being certified gold by RIAA. One of the Clooney Songbook selections, "This Ole House", became Midler's first Christian radio single shipped by Rick Hendrix and his positive music movement. The album was nominated for a Grammy the following year. Throughout 2003 and 2004, Midler toured the United States in her new show, Kiss My Brass, to sell-out audiences. Also in 2004, she appeared in a supporting role in Frank Oz' science fiction satire The Stepford Wives, a remake of the 1975 film of the same name also based on the Ira Levin novel. Also starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken and Glenn Close, Midler played Bobbie Markowitz, a writer and recovering alcoholic. The project underwent numerous production problems that occurred throughout its shooting schedule, with reports of problems on-set between director Oz and the actors being rampant in the press. Oz later blamed Midler — who was amid recording her next album and rehearsing for her tour — for being under a lot of stress by other projects and making "the mistake of bringing her stress on the set." While the original book and film had tremendous cultural impact, the remake was marked by poor reviews by many critics, and a financial loss of approximately $40 million at the box office. Midler joined forces again with Manilow for another tribute album, Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook. Released in October 2005, the album sold 55,000 copies the first week of release, returned Midler to the top ten of US Billboard 200, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. 2006–2011: Midler released a new Christmas album titled Cool Yule in 2006, which featured a duet of Christmastime pop standards "Winter Wonderland"/"Let It Snow" with Johnny Mathis. Well-received, the album garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2007. The same year, Midler returned to the big screen, appearing in Then She Found Me, Helen Hunt's feature film directorial debut. Also starring Hunt along with Matthew Broderick and Colin Firth, the comedy-drama film tells the story of a 39-year-old Brooklyn elementary school teacher, who after years is contacted by the flamboyant host of a local talk show, played by Midler, who introduces herself as her biological mother. Critical response to the film was mixed; whereas some critics praised the film for having strong performances, others felt the film was bogged down by a weak script and technical issues. Midler debuted her Vegas show titled Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on February 20, 2008. It comprised The Staggering Harlettes, 20 female dancers called The Caesar Salad Girls and a 13-piece band. The show played its final performance on January 31, 2010,[57] and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special in 2011. Also in 2008, another compilation album by Midler, Jackpot: The Best Bette, was released. It reached number 66 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and number six in the United Kingdom, where it was certified platinum for sales of over 300,000 copies. As her only film appearance that year, Midler had a small role in Diane English's comedy film The Women, starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening and Eva Mendes among others. An updated version of the George Cukor-directed 1939 film of the same name based on a 1936 play by Clare Boothe Luce, the film was widely panned by critics, who found it "...a toothless remake of the 1939 classic, lacking the charm, wit and compelling protagonists of the original.” Midler appeared on the Bravo TV show My Life on the D-List with Kathy Griffin in an episode that aired in June 2009. In December of the same year, she appeared in the Royal Variety Performance, an annual British charity event attended by Queen Elizabeth II. Midler performed "In My Life" and "Wind Beneath My Wings" as the closing act. In 2010, Midler voiced the character Kitty Galore in the animated film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. The film was a success, grossing $112 million worldwide. In November 2010, Midler released Memories of You, another compilation of lesser known tracks from her catalog. Midler was one of the producers of the Broadway production of the musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which opened in February 2011. 2012–present: Parental Guidance, I'll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers, It's the Girls!, and Hello, Dolly! In June 2012, Midler received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York in recognition of her having "captivated the world" with her "stylish presentation and unmistakable voice." The same year, she co-starred alongside Billy Crystal in the family movie Parental Guidance (2012), playing a couple of old school grandparents trying to adapt to their daughter's 21st-Century parenting style. Despite generally negative reviews by critics, who felt the film was "sweet but milquetoast", box office totals for the movie were higher than initially expected. In 2013, Midler performed on Broadway for the first time in more than 30 years in a play about the Hollywood superagent Sue Mengers. The play, titled I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers and dramatized by John Logan, opened on April 24, 2013 at the Booth Theatre. After the show's success in New York, recouping its initial $2.4 million investment, it was decided to perform the play in Los Angeles at the Geffen Playhouse. In December, it was announced that Midler would portray actress Mae West in an HBO movie biopic, written by Harvey Fierstein and directed by William Friedkin. In March 2014, she performed at the 86th Academy Awards telecast at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, singing "Wind Beneath My Wings" during the in memoriam section.[69] In November 2014, Midler released her 25th overall album, It's the Girls!, through Warner Bros. Records. The album spans seven decades of famous girl groups, from 1930s trios The Boswell Sisters and The Andrews Sisters to 1990s R&B legends such as TLC and their single “Waterfalls". In March 2017, she began playing the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi, continuing through January 2018, in the Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! for which she won her second Tony Award. In 2017 she also appeared in the role of Muv in the 2017 film Freak Show. On April 20, 2018 it was announced that Midler will be returning to Hello, Dolly! on July 17 to close out the run of the successful revival.]]>13:12noPODCAST EPISODE 44 - Cyndi LauperThu, 14 Jun 2018 21:26:32 +0000﻿ Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper, born June 22, 1953 is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. Her career has spanned over 30 years. Her debut solo album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut female album to chart four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night"—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies and her second record True Colors (1986). This album included the number one single "True Colors" and "Change of Heart", which peaked at number three. Since 1989, Lauper has released nine studio albums and participated in many other projects. In 2010, Memphis Blues, became Billboard's most successful blues album of the year, remaining at number one on the Billboard Blues Albums chart for 13 consecutive weeks. In 2013, Lauper won the Tony Award for best original score for composing the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, making her the first woman to win the category by herself.[4] The musical was awarded five other Tonys including Tony Award for Best New Musical. In 2014, Lauper was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the cast recording. In 2016, the West End production won Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards. Lauper has sold over 50 million albums and 20 million singles. She has won awards at the Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, the New York's Outer Critics Circle, MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), Billboard Awards, and American Music Awards (AMAs). An inductee into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Lauper is one of the few singers to win three of the four major American entertainment awards (EGOT). Lauper won the inaugural Best Female Video prize at the 1984 VMAs for “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”. This music video is recognized by MTV, VH1 and Rolling Stone as one of the greatest music videos of the era. She is featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum's Women Who Rock exhibit. Her debut album is included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, while “Time After Time” is included in VH1's list of the 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 years. VH1 has ranked Lauper No. 58 of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. Lauper is known for both her distinctive image featuring a variety of hair colors, eccentric clothing and is particularly known for her powerful and distinctive four-octave singing range. Lauper has been celebrated for her humanitarian work, particularly as an advocate for LGBT rights in the United States. Her charitable efforts were acknowledged in 2013 when the singer was invited as a special guest to attend U.S. President Barack Obama's second-term inauguration. Life and career 1953–1979: Early life Lauper was born at Boulevard Hospital in Astoria, Queens, New York City, to a Catholic family. Her father, Fred, was of German and Swiss descent. Her mother, Catrine Gallo, is Italian American from Sicily. Lauper's siblings are younger brother Fred (nicknamed Butch), and older sister, Ellen. Lauper's parents divorced when she was five. Her mother remarried and divorced again. Lauper grew up in the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens ( a NYC borough) and as a child, listened to such artists as The Beatles, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and Billie Holiday. At age 12, she began writing songs and playing an acoustic guitar given to her by her sister. Lauper expressed herself with a variety of hair colors, eccentric clothing[27] and even took a friend's advice to spell her name as "Cyndi" rather than "Cindy" and her quirky sense of style led to classmates bullying her, with some cruel children literally throwing stones at her (presumably for being unashamedly “different"). Lauper went to Richmond Hill High School, but was expelled, although she later earned her GED. She left home at 17, to escape her abusive stepfather, intending to study art. Her journey took her to Canada, where she spent two weeks in the woods with her dog Sparkle, trying to find herself. She eventually traveled to Vermont, where she took art classes at Johnson State College and supported herself working odd jobs. In the early 1970s, Lauper performed as a vocalist with various cover bands. One, called Doc West, covered disco songs as well as Janis Joplin. A later band, Flyer, was active in the New York metropolitan area, singing hits by bands including Bad Company, Jefferson Airplane and Led Zeppelin. Although Lauper was performing on stage, she was not happy singing covers. In 1977, Lauper damaged her vocal cords and took a year off from singing. She was told by doctors that she would never sing again, but regained her voice with the help of vocal coach Katie Agresta. 1980–1982: Blue Angel In 1978, Lauper met saxophone player John Turi through her manager Ted Rosenblatt. Turi and Lauper formed a band named Blue Angel and recorded a demo tape of original music. Steve Massarsky, manager of The Allman Brothers Band, heard the tape and liked Lauper's voice. He bought Blue Angel's contract for $5,000 and became their manager. Lauper received recording offers as a solo artist, but held out, wanting the band to be included in any deal she made. Blue Angel was eventually signed by Polydor Records and released a self-titled album on the label in 1980. Lauper hated the album cover, saying that it made her look like Big Bird, but Rolling Stone magazine later included it as one of the 100 best new wave album covers (2003). Despite critical acclaim, the album sold poorly ("It went lead", as Lauper later joked) and the band broke up. The members of Blue Angel had a falling-out with Massarsky and fired him as their manager. He later filed an $80,000 suit against them, which forced Lauper into bankruptcy. After this Lauper temporarily lost her voice due to an inverted cyst in her vocal cord. After Blue Angel broke up, Lauper spent time, due to her financial problems, working in retail stores, waitressing at IHOP (which she quit after being demoted to hostess when the manager made a pass at her), and singing in local clubs. Her most frequent gigs were at El Sombrero. Music critics who saw Lauper perform with Blue Angel believed she had star potential due to her four-octave singing range. In 1981, while singing in a local New York bar, Lauper met David Wolff, who took over as her manager and had her sign a recording contract with Portrait Records, a subsidiary of Epic Records. 1983–1985: She's So Unusual On October 14, 1983, Lauper released her first solo album, She's So Unusual. The album peaked at No. 4 in the US, and became a worldwide hit. The primary studio musicians were Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (of The Hooters), Rick Chertoff, Richard Termini and Peter Wood. Lauper became popular with teenagers and critics, in part due to her hybrid punk image, which was crafted by stylist Patrick Lucas. Lauper was interested in writing her own songs, but the record company provided her with songs to record that were written by other writers. Lauper sometimes changed the lyrics in the material she was given by the record company; such is the case with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". Lauper found the original lyrics to be misogynistic, so she rewrote the song as an anthem for young women. The album's second single "Time After Time" was co-written by Lauper and Rob Hyman. "Time After Time" hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. The song would earn Lauper an RIAA Gold certification for record sales that reached 500,000 copies, and was later covered by Miles Davis on his album “You’re under arrest”. It became a staple of Davis’s live shows at the time, featuring on the live album “Live around the world”. The other Billboard Hot 100 singles on She's So Unusual were "She Bop" (No. 3), "All Through the Night" (No. 5), written by Jules Shear, and "Money Changes Everything" (No.27). The album includes five cover songs, including The Brains' new wave track "Money Changes Everything" (No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100) and Prince's "When You Were Mine". The album made Lauper the first female to have four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 top five hits from one album. The LP stayed in the Top 200 charts for more than 65 weeks, and since has sold 16 million copies worldwide. Lauper won Best New Artist at the 1985 Grammy Awards. She's So Unusual also received nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"), and Song of the Year (for "Time After Time"). It also won the Grammy for Best Album Package, which went to the art director, Janet Perr. The video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" won the inaugural award for Best Female Video at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, and made Lauper an MTV staple. The video featured professional wrestling manager "Captain" Lou Albano as Lauper's father, and her real-life mother, Catrine, as her mother,[48] and also featured her attorney, her manager, her brother Butch, and her dog Sparkle. In 1984–85, Lauper appeared on the covers of Rolling Stone magazine, Time, and Newsweek. She appeared twice on the cover of People, and was named a Ms. magazine Woman of the Year in 1985. In 1985, Lauper participated in USA for Africa's famine-relief fund-raising single "We Are the World", which sold more than 20 million copies since then. Lauper appeared with professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, who played her "bodyguard" and would also later make many appearances as herself in a number of the World Wrestling Federation's "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection" events, and played Wendi Richter's manager in the inaugural WrestleMania event. Dave Wolff, Lauper's boyfriend and manager at the time, was a wrestling fan as a boy, and engineered the rock and wrestling connection. In 1985, Lauper released the single "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough", from the soundtrack to the movie The Goonies, and an accompanying video which featured several wrestling stars. The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 1986–1988: True Colors and Vibes Lauper received two nominations at the 1986 Grammy Awards: Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for "What a Thrill" and Best Long Form Music Video for Cyndi Lauper in Paris. Lauper released her second album, True Colors, on September 18, 1986.[58] It reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and sold 2 million copies in the US. She increased her involvement in production and songwriting on her second album, co-writing most of the songs with Essra Mohawk, John Turi, Billy Steinberg, and Tom Kelly. Guests included Angela Clemons-Patrick, Nile Rodgers, Aimee Mann, Billy Joel, Adrian Belew, The Bangles, Ellie Greenwich and Rick Derringer. True Colors was not as commercially successful as She's So Unusual, but it did contain three high-charting singles, including the title track, "True Colors", which became Lauper's second song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; "Change of Heart" (No. 3); and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" (No. 12). A fourth single from the album, "Boy Blue", did not reach the top-40. She donated the proceeds of that song to AIDS research. The song "True Colors" (written by Steinberg and Kelly) was licensed to Kodak for use in its commercials. In 1986, Lauper appeared on the Billy Joel album The Bridge, with a song called "Code of Silence". She is credited as having written the lyrics with Joel and she sings a duet with him. In the same year, Lauper also sang the theme song for the series Pee-wee's Playhouse, credited as "Ellen Shaw". In 1987, David Wolff produced a concert film for Lauper called Cyndi Lauper in Paris. The concert was broadcast on HBO. Lauper made her film debut in August 1988 in the quirky comedy Vibes, alongside Jeff Goldblum, Peter Falk, and Julian Sands. Lauper played a psychic in search of a city of gold in South America. Deborah Blum and Tony Ganz produced the film, with David Wolff as associate producer. To prepare for the role, Lauper took a few classes in finger waving and hair setting at the Robert Fiance School of Beauty in New York, and studied with a few Manhattan psychics. The film flopped and was poorly received by critics But would later be consider a cult classic by fans alike. Lauper contributed a track called "Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" for the Vibes soundtrack, but the song was not included. A music video was released, a high energy, comic action/adventure romp through a Chinese laundry. The song reached No. 54 on the US charts, but fared better in Australia, reaching No. 8. "Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" became the opening song on her 2008 Australian tour. 1989–1992: A Night to Remember and marriage A Night to Remember – Lauper's third album – was released in the spring of 1989. The album had one hit, the No. 6 single "I Drove All Night", originally recorded by Roy Orbison, three years before his death on December 6, 1988. Lauper received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1990 Grammy Awards for "I Drove All Night", but overall album sales for A Night to Remember were down. The music video for the album's song "My First Night Without You" was one of the first to be closed-captioned for the hearing impaired in which Cyndi would later drop from the music industry due to feeling miserable & Depressed about her singing career & the company that own rights to her music. On July 21, 1990, Lauper joined Roger Waters and other artists performing "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II" as part of the concert The Wall in Berlin. As part of the concert, Lauper also performed "The Tide Is Turning" with Waters, Joni Mitchell, Bryan Adams, Paul Carrack and Van Morrison. Three hundred thousand people attended the concert and over five million people worldwide watched on live television. Because of a friendship with Yoko Ono, Lauper took part in the May 1990 John Lennon tribute concert in Liverpool, performing the Beatles song "Hey Bulldog" and the John Lennon song "Working Class Hero".[64] She also took part in Ono and Lennon's son Sean's project called "The Peace Choir", performing a new version of Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance". On November 24, 1991, Lauper married actor David Thornton. 1993–1995: Hat Full of Stars and Twelve Deadly Cyns Lauper's fourth album Hat Full of Stars was released in June 1993 and was met with critical acclaim, but failed commercially, unsupported by her label. The album, which tackled such topics as homophobia, spousal abuse, racism, and abortion sold fewer than 120,000 copies in the United States and peaked at No. 112 on the Billboard charts. The video for the album's song "Sally's Pigeons" features the then-unknown Julia Stiles as the young Cyndi. Lauper co-wrote several songs for the album with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ailee Willis, Nicky Holland, Tom Gray, Hugh Masekela and The Hooters. That same year, Lauper recorded "Boys Will Be Boys" with The Hooters for their album Out of Body. The Hooters dedicated their song "Private Emotion" to her. Her greatest hits album, Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some, was released outside of the US in 1994 and reached US audiences in summer of 1995. The album sold over six million copies worldwide. It included two re-recorded tracks, "I'm Gonna be Strong", originally recorded with Blue Angel, and a reworking of her first hit, newly christened "Hey Now (Girls Just Want to Have Fun)”. In 1993, Lauper returned to acting, playing Michael J. Fox's ditzy secretary in Life with Mikey. She also won an Emmy Award[68] for her role as Marianne Lugasso in the sitcom Mad About You. 1996–2000: Motherhood and Sisters of Avalon On November 19, 1997, Lauper gave birth to her son Declyn Wallace Thornton. Her fifth album, Sisters of Avalon, was released in Japan in 1996 and elsewhere in 1997. The album was written and produced with the help of Jan Pulsford (Lauper's keyboard player) and producer Mark Saunders. As in Hat Full of Stars, some of the songs in Sisters of Avalon addressed dark themes. The song "Ballad of Cleo and Joe" addressed the complications of a drag queen's double life. The song "Say a Prayer" was written for a friend of hers who had died from AIDS. "Unhook the Stars" was used in the movie of the same name. Again without support from her label, the release failed in America, spending a single week on the Billboard album chart at No. 188. This album also met with much critical praise, including People magazine, which declared it "90s nourishment for body and soul. Lauper sets a scene, makes us care, gives us hope.” In November 1998, Lauper released the Christmas album Merry Christmas...Have a Nice Life. The album contained both original material and standards, and was co-produced and mixed by William Wittman. On January 17, 1999, Lauper appeared as an animated version of herself in The Simpsons episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken", singing the National Anthem to the melody of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". In the same year, Lauper opened for Cher's Do You Believe? Tour alongside Wild Orchid.She also appeared in the films Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle and The Opportunists. Lauper contributed a cover version of The Trammps' "Disco Inferno" to the soundtrack for the film A Night at the Roxbury. The song was also released as an EP and earned Lauper a nomination 1999 Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording. In 2000, Lauper contributed the song "I Want a Mom That Will Last Forever" to the children's movie Rugrats in Paris. The song was written with Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO). In 2000, Lauper also co-wrote the song "If You Believe" with Faye Tozer of the British pop group Steps, for the band's third studio album, Buzz. 2001–2004: Shine and At Last In 2001, Lauper prepared a new album Shine. The album was a return to her early punk-rock sound and featured Japanese pop superstar Ryuichi Sakamoto, and George Fullan of Train. Just weeks before the album's scheduled release on September 11, 2001, her label (Edel America Records) folded. A five-song EP of Shine was released in June 2002, but the full-length album was released exclusively in Japan. An album of Shine remixes was eventually released through Tower Records. On October 12, 2000, Lauper took part in the television show Women in Rock, Girls with Guitars performing with Ann Wilson of Heart and with the girl group, Destiny's Child. A CD of the songs performed was released exclusively to Sears stores from September 30 to October 31, 2001, and was marketed as a fundraiser for breast cancer. In 2002, Sony issued a best-of CD, The Essential Cyndi Lauper. Lauper also released a cover album with Sony/Epic Records entitled At Last (formerly Naked City), which was released in 2003. At Last received one nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), for "Unchained Melody". The effort was also a commercial hit, selling 4.5 million records. In April 2004, Lauper performed during the VH1's benefit concert Divas Live 2004 alongside Ashanti, Gladys Knight, Jessica Simpson, Joss Stone and Patti LaBelle, in support of the Save the Music Foundation. 2005–2007: The Body Acoustic In 2005, under a new contract with Sony Music, Lauper released The Body Acoustic, an album that featured acoustic reinterpretations of tracks from her repertoire. The album also included two new tracks including "Above the Clouds". Guest performers on the album included Shaggy, Ani DiFranco, Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday, Jeff Beck, Puffy AmiYumi, Sarah McLachlan, and Vivian Green. "Time After Time" with Sarah McLachlan charted on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. She made appearances on Showtime's hit show Queer As Folk in 2005, directed a commercial for Totally 80s edition of the board game Trivial Pursuit in 2006, served as a judge on the 6th Annual Independent Music Awards and made her Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated The Threepenny Opera as Jenny. She performed with Shaggy, Scott Weiland of Velvet Revolver/Stone Temple Pilots, Pat Monahan of Train, Ani DiFranco, and The Hooters in the VH1 Classics special Decades Rock Live. In 2007, she sang "Beecharmer" with Nellie McKay on McKay's Pretty Little Head album, and "Message To Michael" with Dionne Warwick. On October 16, 2006, Lauper was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. 2008–2009: Bring Ya to the Brink In 2009, Lauper took a role and wrote a song for the Serbian movie Here and There, which stars her husband, David Thornton. Lauper's sixth studio album, Bring Ya to the Brink was released in the United States on May 27, 2008.[78] By the time of the album's US release, the single "Set Your Heart" had already had significant airplay in Japan, and Lauper had begun an Australian tour with Katie Noonan and Kate Miller-Heidke. The album featured dance tracks written with artists including Axwell, The Scumfrog, Basement Jaxx, Digital Dog, Dragonette, Kleerup, and others. Bring Ya to the Brink received one Grammy nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album and charted two #1 hits on the Billboard Dance chart. "Set Your Heart" was used in the Japanese advertising campaign for the 2008 Toyota MarkX ZIO. Other projects for 2008 included the True Colors Tour and a Christmas duet with Swedish band The Hives, entitled "A Christmas Duel". The song was released as a CD single and a 7" vinyl in Sweden.[79] Lauper also performed on the "Girls Night Out", headlining it with Rosie O'Donnell in the US.[80] Lauper's TV appearances in 2009 included the American soap opera As the World Turns, performing "Time After Time" as a duet with Allison Iraheta, on the season 8 finale of American Idol and at the 2009 TV Land Awards on April 19 dressed as the "Empress of Evil" for a musical tribute to Sid and Marty Krofft. Lauper performed a duet with Leona Lewis on VH1 Divas on September 19, 2009, singing "True Colors", and performed a comedy skit with Eminem at the MTV VMA's in September 2009. She also played herself in 30 Rock's third season finale and appeared as Avalon Harmonia, a psychic, on the Season 5 premiere of Bones. On November 17, 2009, Lauper performed a collaborative work with Wyclef Jean called "Slumdog Millionaire", performing it on the Late Show with David Letterman.[82] The collaborative effort stems from Jean's latest album: Toussaint St. Jean: From the Hut, To the Projects, To the Mansion. 2010–2012: The Celebrity Apprentice, Memphis Blues, memoir In January 2010, Mattel released a Cyndi Lauper Barbie doll as part of their "Ladies of the 80s" series. In March 2010, Lauper appeared on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice, coming in sixth place.[84] She donated her winnings to her True Colors Fund. Lauper also performed a song from her upcoming album Memphis Blues in the show's live season finale. Memphis Blues—Lauper's 7th studio album—was released on June 22, 2010 and debuted on the Billboard Blues Albums chart at No. 1, and at No. 26 on the Billboard Top 200. The album remained No. 1 on the Blues Albums chart for 14 consecutive weeks; Memphis Blues was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2011 Grammy Awards. Lauper made international news in March 2011 for an impromptu performance of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" while waiting for a delayed flight at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires. A video was later posted on YouTube. In November 2011, she released two Christmas singles exclusive to iTunes. The first release was a Blues-inspired cover of Elvis Presley's classic "Blue Christmas", and the second was a new version of "Home for the holidays", a duet with Norah Jones. In June 2012, Lauper made her first appearance for WWE in 27 years, to promote WWE Raw's 1000th episode to memorialize "Captain" Lou Albano. In September 2012, Lauper performed at fashion designer Betsey Johnson's 40 year Retrospective Fashion show.[90] She also released a New York Times Best Selling memoir that detailed her struggle with child abuse and depression. 2013–2015: Kinky Boots, She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration & Songwriters Hall of Fame Lauper composed music and lyrics for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, with Harvey Fierstein writing the book. The musical was based on the 2006 independent film Kinky Boots. It opened in Chicago in October 2012[92] and on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 4, 2013. In May, Lauper won for best score for Kinky Boots at the 63rd annual Outer Critics Circle Awards.[94] The musical led the 2013 Tony Awards, with 13 nominations and six wins including Best Musical and Best Actor. Lauper won the award for Best Original Score. Lauper was the first woman to win solo in this category. In the summer of 2013, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of her debut album She's So Unusual, Lauper embarked on an international tour covering America and Australia. The show consisted of a mix of fan favorites and the entirety of the She's So Unusual record. She was a guest on 36 dates of Cher's Dressed to Kill Tour, starting April 23, 2014. A new album was confirmed by Lauper on a website interview. Lauper hosted the Grammy Pre-Telecast at the Nokia Theatre, L.A. on Jan 26,[101] where she later accepted a Grammy for Kinky Boots (Best Musical Theater Album). On April 1 (March 1 in Europe), Lauper released the 30th Anniversary edition of She's So Unusual through Epic Records[103] It featured a remastered version of the original album plus three new remixes. The Deluxe Edition featured bonus tracks such as demos and a live recording as well as a 3D cut-out of the bedroom featured in the 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' music video with a reusable sticker set. On September 17, 2014, Cyndi Lauper sang on the finale of America's Got Talent. On September 25, as part of the Today Show's Shine a Light series, Lauper re-recorded "True Colors" in a mashup with Sara Bareilles' "Brave" to raise awareness and money for children battling cancer.[106] By October the project had raised over $300,000. The Songwriters Hall of Fame included Lauper in its nomination list on October 2014.[108] Also during October, Lauper's fourth consecutive 'Home for the Holidays' benefit concert for homeless gay youth was announced. Acts included 50 Cent and Laverne Cox with 100% of the net proceeds going to the True Colors Fund. In March 2015 Lauper once again guest starred on the crime show Bones as Avalon Harmonia. On June 12, 2015, Lauper appeared on The Graham Norton Show alongside Seth MacFarlane, Dara O'Briain, and Mark Wahlberg. To promote her work with the National Psoriasis Foundation and Novartis and revealing she, herself has suffered from psoriasis for the past five years, Cyndi appeared on the Today Show in July 2015. During the interview Cyndi revealed she is working on a project with Seymour Stein. Later it was revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone she is working on a country album with Tony Brown, and Seymour Stein as executive producer. On September 15, 2015, Kinky Boots opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End. 2016–present: Detour and more In January 2016, Lauper announced she would release a new album on May 6, 2016. This composed of her interpretations of early country classics entitled Detour.[113] The announcement was supported by a release of her version of Harlan Howard's "Heartaches by the Number" and a performance on Skyville Live with Kelsea Ballerini and Ingrid Michaelson. On February 17, 2016 she released her version of Wanda Jackson's "Funnel of Love". In February 2016, Lauper was nominated for an Olivier Award for her contribution to the UK production of Kinky Boots along with Stephen Oremus, the man responsible for the arrangements.[116] In January 2017, this production's album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. In May 2016, Lauper was featured on "Swipe to the Right" off of Electronica 2: The Heart of Noise from French producer Jean-Michel Jarre. This second album of the Electronica project is based on collaborations with artists related to electronic music (Tangerine Dream, Moby, Pet Shop Boys, etc.). In October 2016, her son Dex Lauper was the opening act for her Scottsdale, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada dates on her Detour Tour.[119] In January 2017, Lauper was featured on Austin City Limits' 42nd season performing some of her classic songs alongside country tunes from Detour. The episode aired on PBS.[120] In October 2017 she released a new song, "Hope", in honor of World Psoriasis Day. "I know first-hand the impact psoriasis can have and my goal is to give a voice to the millions of Americans who may struggle with their psoriasis," said Lauper. Together with singer Kesha, Lauper performed, amongst others, the song 'Praying' at the Grammy Award Ceremony in January 2018. In March 2018, it was announced that Lauper together with co-'Time after time' songwriter Rob Hyman is going to compose the music for the musical version of the 1988 film 'Working Girl' which starred Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver. She teamed up with Hyman because she wanted " the music to sound like the 80s". Also in March 2018 it was announced that Cyndi Lauper will be one of the headliners for the 15th annual Rock the Park Festival in Canada on July 12. ]]>17:14noPODCAST EPISODE 43 - Jimmy Buffett, The Gulf and Western PhenomenonTue, 12 Jun 2018 00:55:08 +0000James William Buffett, born December 25, 1946) is an American musician, songwriter, author, actor, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett has recorded hit songs including "Margaritaville" (ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of "Songs of the Century") and "Come Monday". He has a devoted base of fans known as “Parrotheads". Aside from his career in music, Buffett is also a best-selling writer and is involved in two restaurant chains named after two of his best-known songs; he owns the Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and co-developed the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chain. Early and personal life Buffett was born on December 25, 1946, in Pascagoula, Mississippi and spent part of his childhood in Mobile, Alabama. He is the son of Mary Lorraine and James Delaney Buffett, Jr. In grade school years, he attended St. Ignatius School, where he played the trombone in the school band. Buffett's grandfather was a sailor, therefore he was exposed to sailing as a child which had an early effect on his life and later in his music. He later lived in Fairhope, Alabama. He graduated from McGill Institute for Boys in 1964. He began playing guitar during his first year at Auburn University before continuing his college years at Pearl River Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he received a bachelor's degree in history in 1969. He was initiated into the fraternity Kappa Sigma at the University of Southern Mississippi. After graduating from college, Buffett worked as a correspondent for Billboard magazine in Nashville, breaking the news of the separation of Flatt and Scruggs. Buffett married Margie Washichek in 1969 and divorced in 1971. Buffett spent years working as the first mate on the yacht of industrialist Foster Talge on the Petticoat III in Key West while perfecting the "Caribbean Rock n' Roll" genre. Buffett and his second wife, Jane have two daughters, Savannah Jane and Sarah Delaney, and an adopted son, Cameron Marley, and reside in Sag Harbor, New York. They separated in the early 1980s, but reconciled in 1991. Buffett also owns a home in St Barts, a Caribbean island where he lived on and off in the early 1980s while he was part owner of the Autour de Rocher hotel and restaurant. He spends part of the summer traveling about the East Coast on his sailboat. An avid pilot, Buffett owns a Dassault Falcon 900 that he often uses while on concert tour and traveling worldwide. He has also owned a Boeing Stearman, Lake Amphibian, and Grumman Albatross. His father died May 1, 2003, at the age of 83. His mother died a few months after her husband, on September 25, 2003. In 2015, Jimmy Buffett spoke at the University of Miami's graduation ceremony and received an honorary doctorate in music. Wearing flip flops and aviator sunglasses, he told graduates, in a paraphrase of his song "The Pascagoula Run", that "it's time to see the world, time to kiss a girl, and time to cross the wild meridian." Music career [caption id="attachment_2007" align="alignleft" width="300"] Jimmy Buffett at Clemson 1977[/caption] Buffett began his musical career in Nashville, Tennessee, during the late 1960s as a country artist and recorded his first album, the folk rock Down to Earth, in 1970. During this time, Buffett could be frequently found busking for tourists in New Orleans. Country music singer Jerry Jeff Walker took him to Key West on a busking expedition in November 1971. Buffett then moved to Key West and began establishing the easy-going beach-bum persona for which he is known. He started out playing for drinks at the Chart Room Bar in the Pier House Motel. Following this move, Buffett combined country, rock, and pop music with coastal as well as tropical lyrical themes for a sound sometimes called "gulf and western". Today, he is a regular visitor to the Caribbean island of Saint Barts and other islands where he gets inspiration for many of his songs and some of the characters in his books. With the untimely death of friend and mentor Jim Croce in September 1973, ABC/Dunhill Records tapped Buffett to fill his space. Earlier, Buffett had visited Croce's farm in Pennsylvania and met with Croce in Florida. Buffett's third album was the 1973 A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean. Albums Living & Dying in 3/4 Time and A1A both followed in 1974, Havana Daydreamin' appeared in 1976, and Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes followed in 1977 and featured the breakthrough hit song “Margaritaville". "Margaritaville" is a 1977 song that was written about a drink Buffett discovered at Lung's restaurant on Anderson Lane in Austin, Texas, and the first huge surge of tourists who descended on Key West, Florida around that time. He wrote most of the song that night at a friend's house in Austin, and finished it while spending time in Key West. In the United States "Margaritaville" reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and went to number one on the Easy Listening chart, also peaking at #13 on the Hot Country Songs chart.[5]Billboard ranked it number 14 on its 1977 Pop Singles year-end chart. It remains Buffett's highest charting solo single. Named for the margarita cocktail, with lyrics reflecting a laid-back lifestyle in a tropical climate, "Margaritaville" has come to define Buffett's music and career. The relative importance of the song to Buffett's career is referred to obliquely in a parenthetical plural in the title of a Buffett greatest hits compilation album, Songs You Know By Heart: Jimmy Buffett's Greatest Hit(s). The name has been used in the title of other Buffett compilation albums such as Meet Me In Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection and is also the name of several commercial products licensed by Buffett. Popular culture references, throughout the years and remakes attest to the song's continuing popularity. The song was mentioned in Blake Shelton's 2004 single "Some Beach”. "Margaritaville" has been inducted into the 2016 Grammy Hall of Fame for its cultural and historic significance. During the 1980s, Buffett made far more money from his tours than his albums and became known as a popular concert draw. He released a series of albums during the following 20 years, primarily to his devoted audience, and also branched into writing and merchandising. In 1985, Buffett opened a "Margaritaville" retail store in Key West, and in 1987, he opened the Margaritaville Cafe. In 1997, Buffett collaborated with novelist Herman Wouk to create a musical based on Wouk's novel, Don't Stop the Carnival. Broadway showed little interest in the play (following the failure of Paul Simon's The Capeman), and it ran only for six weeks in Miami. He released an album of songs from the musical in 1998. In August 2000, Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band played on the White House lawn for then-President Bill Clinton. In 2003, he partnered in a partial duet with Alan Jackson for the song "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere", a number-one hit on the country charts. This song won the 2003 Country Music Association Award for Vocal Event of the Year. This was Buffett's first award in his 30-year career. Buffett's album, License to Chill, released on July 13, 2004, sold 238,600 copies in its first week of release according to Nielsen Soundscan. With this, Buffett topped the U.S. pop albums chart for the first time in his career. Buffett continues to tour throughout the year, although he has shifted recently to a more relaxed schedule of around 20–30 dates, with infrequent back-to-back nights, preferring to play only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This schedule provided the title of his 1999 live album. In the summer of 2005, Buffett teamed up with Sirius Satellite Radio and introduced Radio Margaritaville. Until this point, Radio Margaritaville was solely an online channel. Radio Margaritaville has remained on the service through Sirius' merger with XM Radio and currently appears as XM 24. The channel broadcasts from the Margaritaville restaurant at Universal CityWalk in Orlando, Florida. In August 2006, he released the album Take The Weather With You. The song "Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On" on this album is in honor of the survivors of 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Buffett's rendition of "Silver Wings" on the same album was made as a tribute to Merle Haggard. On August 30, 2007, he received his star on the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame.[13][14] On April 20, 2010, a double CD of performances recorded during the 2008 and 2009 tours called Encores was released exclusively at Walmart, Walmart.com, and margaritaville.com. Buffett partnered in a duet with the Zac Brown Band on the song "Knee Deep": released on Brown's 2010 album You Get What You Give, it became a hit country and pop single in 2011. Also in 2011, Buffett voiced Huckleberry Finn on Mark Twain: Words & Music, which was released on Mailboat Records. The project is a benefit for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum and includes Clint Eastwood as Mark Twain, Garrison Keillor as the narrator, and songs by Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, and others. Of the over 30 albums Jimmy Buffett has released, as of October 2007, eight are Gold albums and nine are Platinum or Multiplatinum. In 2003, Buffett won his first Country Music Award for his song "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere" with Alan Jackson, and was nominated again in 2007 for the CMA Event of the Year Award for his song "Hey Good Lookin" which featured Alan Jackson and George Strait. Buffett has performed at the Xfinity Center amphitheatre (formerly known as Great Woods) in Mansfield, Massachusetts, 58 times, the most of any venue in his career. Musical style Buffett began calling his music "drunken Caribbean rock 'n' roll" as he says on his 1978 live album You Had To Be There. Later, Buffett himself and others have used the term "gulf and western" to describe his musical style and that of other similar-sounding performers. The name derives from elements in Buffett's early music including musical influence from country and western, along with lyrical themes from the Gulf Coast. A music critic described Buffett's music as a combination of "tropical languor with country funkiness into what some [have] called the Key West sound, or Gulf-and-western." The term is a play on the form of "Country & Western" and the name of the former conglomerate Gulf+Western. Other performers identified as gulf and western are often deliberately derivative of Buffett's musical style and some are tribute bands, or in the case of Greg "Fingers" Taylor, a former member of Buffett's Coral Reefer Band.[23] They can be heard on Buffett's online Radio Margaritaville and on the compilation album series Thongs in the Key of Life. Gulf and western performers include Norman "the Caribbean Cowboy" Lee, Jim Bowley, Kenny Chesney, and Jim Morris. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com/podcastepisode42]]>12:21noPODCAST EPISODE 42 - Ronald FarnhamSun, 10 Jun 2018 19:52:20 +0000Actor, author, producer & director Ronald Russell Farnham was born in New York and raised in Florida & NY., loves drama, action, and tension, began theatre in grade school, acting in Macbeth. As a kid he wanted to be a stuntman. He became an army linguist and privately contracted intelligence analyst for 13 years. His motion picture directorial debut was ADOR’s Step Up the Music video. He's acted in scenes with Mark Walhberg, Ashton Kucher, Keifer Sutherland, Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Greg Kinear, and Lorraine Bracco. He trained with commercial actor Bruce Michael and studied method acting at Venue Actors Studio with Corinne Broskette of Lee Strasberg’s world famous Actor’s Studio. He studied camera acting by Ken Grant. He published his fourth book in 2016, Hollywood and Vine, and is a member in good standing of SAG-AFTRA. He’s appeared on America’s Got Talent, Guinness World Records Unleashed, and appeared in front of live studio audiences on syndicated national TV shows. He recently released HOLLYWOOD AND VINE; a feature length action-adventure film that he wrote, produced, and directed in Los Angeles. He recently published the Docu-Drama, TRUE STORIES EPISODE 2: A LIFETIME OF UFO ABDUCTIONS. He’s worked on hundreds of Hollywood studio films, TV shows, and commercials. Ronald’s next book, HORRORSCOPE will be released in 2018 and is based on his current motion picture production of the same title being currently shot on location in Florida. He established Enlightenment Thru Entertainment Productions [E.T.E. Productions] to create motion pictures that people love and understand. Director True Stories RONONYMOUS [Docu-Dramedy] The Ronald Show AUTHOR Hollywood and Vine How To Write A Screenplay In 30 Days Or Less The Second Coming Of The Messiah CO-AUTHOR Harry Jonson Links: The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/celebrityarchaeology]]>16:34noPODCAST EPISODE 41 - John DenverSat, 09 Jun 2018 16:20:03 +0000Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., born December 31, 1943, known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, activist, and humanitarian, whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singer. After traveling and living in numerous locations while growing up in his military family, Denver began his music career with folk music groups during the late 1960s. Starting in the 1970s, he was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the decade and one of its best-selling artists. By 1974, he was firmly established as one of America's best-selling performers, and AllMusic has described Denver as "among the most beloved entertainers of his era”. Denver recorded and released approximately 300 songs, about 200 of which he composed, with total sales of over 33 million records worldwide. He recorded and performed primarily with an acoustic guitar and sang about his joy in nature, his disdain for city life, his enthusiasm for music, and his relationship trials. Denver's music appeared on a variety of charts, including country music, the Billboard Hot 100, and adult contemporary, in all earning him twelve gold and four platinum albums with his signature songs "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Annie's Song", "Rocky Mountain High", “Calypso”, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", and "Sunshine on My Shoulders". Denver appeared in several films and television specials during the 1970s and 1980s. He continued to record in the 1990s, also focusing on environmental issues by lending vocal support to space exploration and testifying in front of Congress in protest against censorship in music. He lived in Aspen, Colorado, for much of his life and was known for his love of Colorado, which he sang about numerous times. In 1974 Denver was named poet laureate of the state. The Colorado state legislature also adopted "Rocky Mountain High" as one of its two state songs in 2007. Denver was an avid pilot who died at age 53 in a single-fatality crash while flying his experimental Rutan Long-EZ canard aircraft. Song history Denver described how he wrote "Sunshine on My Shoulders": "I wrote the song in Minnesota at the time I call 'late winter, early spring'. It was a dreary day, gray and slushy. The snow was melting and it was too cold to go outside and have fun, but God, you're ready for spring. You want to get outdoors again and you're waiting for that sun to shine, and you remember how sometimes just the sun itself can make you feel good. And in that very melancholy frame of mind I wrote 'Sunshine on My Shoulders'." The song was slightly remixed for single release, with the addition of strings and woodwinds to enhance the background of the song. The album version features an extra verse, not heard on the Singles charts, due to the song's length. In addition to Denver's wondering on if he had a day and a song. In the second verse, It mentions Denver's wondering if he had a tale, and a wish. The song ends with the words "ALMOST ALWAYS", being held on until the song's end. The full length single mix with the second verse has been released on most of Denver's hits compilations. It was originally the B-side of one of his earlier songs, "I'd Rather Be a Cowboy". As the Vietnam War came to an end, the song took on a new significance and began to receive airplay on adult contemporary radio stations. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 90 on January 26, 1974 and moved into the number one spot nine weeks later, remaining at #1 for one week. The song also topped the adult contemporary chart for two weeks in 1974. Billboard ranked it as the No. 18 song for 1974. [caption id="attachment_1941" align="alignleft" width="353"]Photo by Adam Scull/RiderShots.com[/caption] Take Me Home, Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver. It was released as a single performed by John Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number 2 on Billboard's US Top 40 Singles for the week ending August 28, 1971. The song was a success on its initial release and was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 18, 1971, and Platinum on April 10, 2017. The song became one of John Denver's most popular and beloved songs. It has continued to sell, with over a million digital copies sold in the United States. It is considered to be Denver's signature song. The song has a prominent status as an iconic symbol of West Virginia, which it describes as "almost Heaven"; for example, it was played at the funeral memorial for U.S. Senator Robert Byrd in July 2010. In March 2014, it became one of several official state anthems of West Virginia. Composition Danoff and his then-wife, Mary Nivert, wrote "I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads," both of which were hits for John Denver. Danoff (from Springfield, Massachusetts) has stated he had never been to West Virginia before co-writing the song. Inspiration for the song had come while driving to a family reunion of Nivert's relatives along Clopper Road in nearby Maryland. To pass the time en route, Danoff had made up a ballad about the little winding roads they were taking. He had even briefly considered using "Massachusetts" rather than "West Virginia," as both four-syllable state names would have fit the song's meter. Starting December 22, 1970, John Denver was heading the bill at The Cellar Door, a Washington, D.C. club. Danoff and Nivert opened for him as a duo named Fat City. After the Tuesday post-Christmas re-opening night (Cellar Door engagements ran from Tuesday to Sunday, and this booking was for two weeks,) the three headed back to their place for an impromptu jam. On the way, Denver's left thumb was broken in an automobile accident. He was taken to the hospital, where a splint was applied. Danoff and Nivert then told him about the song that they had been working on for about a month. Originally, Danoff and Nivert had planned to sell the song to popular country singer Johnny Cash, but when Denver heard the song and decided he had to have it, the duo who wrote the original lyrics decided not to make the sale. They sang the song for Denver and as he recalled, "I flipped." The three stayed up until 6:00 a.m., changing words and moving lines around. When they finished, John announced that the song had to go on his next album. The song was premiered December 30, 1970, during an encore of Denver's set, with the singers reading the words from a folded piece of paper. This resulted in a five-minute ovation, one of the longest in Cellar Door history. They recorded it in New York City in January 1971. Commercial performance "Take Me Home, Country Roads" appeared on the LP Poems, Prayers & Promises and was released as a 45 in the spring of 1971. Original pressings credited the single to "John Denver with Fat City". It broke nationally in mid-April but moved up the charts very slowly. After several weeks, RCA Records called John and told him that they were giving up on the single. His response: "No! Keep working on it!" They did, and the single went to number 1 on the Record World Pop Singles Chart and the Cash Box Top 100, and number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, topped only by "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by The Bee Gees. On August 18, 1971, it was certified Gold by the RIAA for a million copies shipped. The song continued to sell in the digital era. As of September 2017, the song has also sold an additional 1,584,000 downloads since it became available digitally. Rocky Mountain High" is a folk rock song written by John Denver and Mike Taylor about Colorado, and is one of the two official state songs of Colorado. Recorded by Denver in 1972, it went to #9 on the US Hot 100 in 1973. (The song also made #3 on the Easy Listening chart and was played by some country music stations.) Denver told concert audiences in the mid-1970s that the song took him an unusually long nine months to write. On April 10, 2017, the song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 digital downloads. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Background and writing [caption id="attachment_1942" align="aligncenter" width="1835"]Photo By Adam Scull/RiderShots.com[/caption] "Rocky Mountain High" is primarily inspired by John Denver's move to Aspen, Colorado three years before its writing and his love for the state. The seventh stanza makes a reference to destruction of the mountains' beauty by commercial tourism. The song was considered a major piece of 1970s pop culture and became a well-associated piece of Colorado history. The song briefly became controversial that year when the U.S. Federal Communications Commission was permitted by a legal ruling to censor music deemed to promote drug abuse. Numerous radio stations cautiously banned the song until Denver publicly explained that the "high" was his innocent description of the sense of peace he found in the Rockies. In 1985, Denver testified before Congress in the Parents Music Resource Center hearings about his experience: This was obviously done by people who had never seen or been to the Rocky Mountains, and also had never experienced the elation, celebration of life or the joy in living that one feels when he observes something as wondrous as the Perseid meteor shower on a moonless, cloudless night, when there are so many stars that you have a shadow from the starlight, and you are out camping with your friends, your best friends, and introducing them to one of nature's most spectacular light shows for the first time. Denver appeared in several films and television specials during the 1970s and 1980s. He continued to record in the 1990s, also focusing on environmental issues by lending vocal support to space exploration and testifying in front of Congress in protest against censorship in music. He lived in Aspen, Colorado, for much of his life and was known for his love of Colorado, which he sang about numerous times. In 1974 Denver was named poet laureate of the state. The Colorado state legislature also adopted "Rocky Mountain High" as one of its two state songs in 2007. Denver was an avid pilot who died aged 53 in a single-fatality crash while flying his experimental Rutan Long-EZ canard aircraft. Death Denver was killed on October 12, 1997 when his experimental Rutan Long-EZ plane, aircraft registration number N555JD, crashed into Monterey Bay near Pacific Grove, California, while making a series of touch-and-go landings at the nearby Monterey Peninsula Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) accident ID is LAX98FA008. Denver was the only occupant of the aircraft. Identification was not possible using dental records; only his fingerprints confirmed that the pilot was Denver. A pilot with over 2,700 hours of experience, Denver had pilot ratings for single-engine land and sea, multi-engine land, glider, and instrument. He also held a type rating in his Learjet. He had recently purchased the Long-EZ aircraft, made by someone else from a kit, and had taken a half-hour checkout flight with the aircraft the day before the accident. Denver was not legally permitted to fly at the time of the accident. In previous years, Denver had a number of drunk driving arrests. In 1996, nearly a year before the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration learned that Denver had failed to maintain sobriety by failing to refrain entirely from alcohol, and was compelled to revoke his medical certification. However, the accident was not influenced by alcohol use, as an autopsy found no sign of alcohol or other drugs in Denver's body. Post-accident investigation by the NTSB showed that the leading cause of the accident was Denver's inability to switch fuel tanks during flight. The quantity of fuel had been depleted during the plane's transfer to Monterey and in several brief practice takeoffs and landings Denver performed at the airport immediately prior to the final flight. His newly purchased experimental Rutan had an unusual fuel selector valve handle configuration. Intended by the plane's designer to be located between the pilot's legs, the builder instead had placed the fuel selector behind the pilot's left shoulder, with the fuel gauge also behind the pilot's seat and not visible to the person at the controls. An NTSB interview with the aircraft mechanic servicing Denver's plane revealed that he and Denver had discussed the inaccessibility of the cockpit fuel selector valve handle and its resistance to being turned. Before the flight, Denver and the mechanic had attempted to extend the reach of the handle, using a pair of Vise-Grip pliers. However, this did not solve the problem, and the pilot still could not reach the handle while strapped into his seat. NTSB investigators' post-accident investigation showed that because of the positioning of the fuel selector valves, switching fuel tanks required the pilot to turn his body 90 degrees to reach the valve. This created a natural tendency to extend one's right foot against the right rudder pedal to support oneself while turning in the seat, which caused the aircraft to yaw (nose right) and pitch up. The mechanic said he had remarked to Denver that the fuel sight gauges were visible only to the rear cockpit occupant. Denver had asked how much fuel was shown. He told Denver there was "less than half in the right tank and less than a quarter in the left tank". He then provided Denver with an inspection mirror so he could look over his shoulder at the fuel gauges. The mirror was later recovered in the wreckage. Denver said he would use the autopilot inflight to hold the airplane level while he turned the fuel selector valve. He turned down an offer to refuel, saying he would be flying for about an hour. The NTSB interviewed 20 witnesses of Denver's last flight. Six of them had seen the plane crash into the ocean near Point Pinos. Four witnesses stated the aircraft was originally heading west. Five said they saw the plane in a steep bank, with four of these saying the bank was to the right (north). Twelve witnesses described seeing the aircraft in a steep nose-down descent. Witnesses estimated the plane's altitude to be between 350 and 500 feet (110 and 150 m) when heading toward the shoreline. Eight said that they heard a "pop" or "backfire", accompanied by a reduction in the engine noise level just before the airplane crashed into the sea. In addition to Denver's failing to refuel and his subsequent loss of control, while attempting to switch fuel tanks, the NTSB determined there were other key factors that led to the accident. Foremost among these was Denver's inadequate transition training on this type of aircraft, and the builder's decision to locate the fuel selector handle in a difficult-to-reach location.[41][42] The board issued recommendations on the requirement and enforcement of mandatory training standards for pilots operating experimental aircraft. It also emphasized the importance of mandatory ease of access to all controls, including fuel selectors and fuel gauges, in all aircraft. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/celebrityarchaeology]]>24:16noPODCAST EPISODE 40 - Margaux HemingwayFri, 08 Jun 2018 01:39:25 +0000Margaux Louise Hemingway (February 16, 1954 was an American fashion model and actress. The statuesque Hemingway earned success as a supermodel in the mid-1970s appearing on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and TIME. She signed a million-dollar contract for Fabergé as the spokesmodel for Babe perfume. She was the granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway. Her later years were marred by highly publicized episodes of addiction and depression. She committed suicide by drug overdose in 1996 at the age of 42. Early life Born Margot Louise Hemingway in Portland, Oregon, she was the daughter of Byra Louise (née Whittlesey) and Jack Hemingway (eldest son of writer Ernest Hemingway). When she learned that she was named after the wine, Château Margaux, which her parents drank on the night she was conceived, she changed the spelling from "Margot" to "Margaux" to match. She had two sisters, actress Mariel Hemingway, and Joan (nicknamed Muffet). During her childhood, the family relocated from Oregon to Cuba, where her famous grandfather had lived, then to San Francisco, and later to Idaho, where they lived on her grandfather's farm in Ketchum. The family took trips each summer back to Oregon with the daughters' godmother, who had a farm in Salem. She graduated from the Catlin Gabel School in Portland. Margaux struggled with a variety of disorders beginning in her teenage years, including alcoholism, depression, bulimia, and epilepsy. With her permission, a video recording was made of her therapy session related to her bulimia, and it was broadcast on television. She also suffered from dyslexia. In 2013, her younger sister Mariel revealed in the documentary Running from Crazy that both Margaux and their older sister Muffet had been sexually abused by their father. Career 1972–1975: Modeling At six feet tall, Hemingway experienced success as a model, including a million-dollar contract for Fabergé as the spokesmodel for Babe perfume in the 1970s. This was the first million-dollar contract ever awarded to a fashion model. She also appeared on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, and Vogue, as well as on the June 16, 1975, cover of TIME, which dubbed her one of the "new beauties". The September 1, 1975, cover issue of American Vogue called Hemingway "New York's New Supermodel”. In a 1997 E! True Hollywood Story that profiled Hemingway's life, her mentor and close friend Zachary Selig discussed how he helped launch her early career with his initial marketing and public relations work as she became a global celebrity, and he introduced her to yoga and the Solar Kundalini "Codex Relaxatia" paradigm as tools for success and to overcome some of her debilitating mental disorders. Selig and Hemingway spent time with the Hemingway family at their property in Ketchum adjacent to Sun Valley, where they studied Solar Kundalini, yoga, and meditation together. Hemingway continued using these relaxation skills for the rest of her life. During the height of her modeling career in the mid- to late 1970s, Hemingway was a regular attendee of New York City's exclusive discothèque Studio 54, often in the company of such celebrities as Halston, Bianca Jagger, Liza Minnelli, Grace Jones, and Andy Warhol. At such social mixers, she began to experiment with alcohol and drugs. 1976–1996: Film career Hemingway made her film debut in the Lamont Johnson-directed rape and revenge film Lipstick (1976), alongside her 14-year-old sister Mariel, and Anne Bancroft. In it, she plays a fashion model who is terrorized by a rapist. The film's violent depiction of rape led it to be labeled an exploitation film, though in later years it had success as a cult film. She followed this with a supporting role in the Italian horror film Killer Fish (1979), opposite Lee Majors and Karen Black. Her following project was the comedy They Call Me Bruce? in 1982. In 1984, Hemingway had a supporting part in Over the Brooklyn Bridge, opposite Elliott Gould and Shelley Winters. After a skiing accident in 1984, Hemingway gained 75 pounds and became increasingly depressed. In 1987, she checked into the Betty Ford Center. Attempting to make a comeback, she appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine in May 1990, and she asked Playboy to hire Selig as the creative director for her cover story. It was shot in Belize.[17] Despite her attempts, Hemingway's budding film career began to falter, and she took roles in several B-movies, including Killing Machine (1984) and Inner Sanctum (1991). Hemingway continued to support herself by appearing in a small number of direct-to-video films into the 1990s, autographing her nude photos from Playboy magazine, and endorsing a psychic telephone hotline owned by her cousin Adiel Hemingway. Shortly before her death, she was set to host the outdoor adventure series Wild Guide on the Discovery Channel. Personal life Hemingway's first marriage, to Errol Wetanson, ended in divorce. They met when, at age 19, she accompanied her father to the Plaza Hotel in New York City on a business trip. Four months later she moved from Idaho to New York City to live with Wetanson as a guest at Selig's apartment at 12 East 72nd Street, which was owned by heiress Gloria Vanderbilt. It was there that Selig made Hemingway's business and social introductions to his friends, such as Marian McEvoy, fashion editor at Women's Wear Daily; photographer Francesco Scavullo; fashion designer Halston; Vogue magazine fashion editor Francis Stein; and Jon Revson, Selig's cousin. Revson, a scion of the Revson family that created Revlon cosmetics, declined Selig's offer for Hemingway to endorse Revlon, whereas later Fabergé signed her on with the largest salary of its day. Revson did come to visit both Selig and Hemingway (with the Hemingway family) in Ketchum, Idaho, to congratulate her after Hemingway's TIME magazine cover appeared in June 1975. Marian McEvoy quickly interviewed Margaux at a party given by Selig, which resulted in Hemingway's Women's Wear Daily front- and back-page story that launched Hemingway into the fashion limelight. Hemingway then married Frenchman Bernard Faucher. They lived in Paris for a year. She divorced him in 1985, after six years.’ Hemingway experienced familial dramas throughout her life. Her relationship with her mother, Puck, was fraught with tension, but they did reconcile prior to Puck's death from cancer in 1988. She also experienced intense competition with her younger sister Mariel, who received greater accolades for her acting. In the 1990s, Hemingway went forward with allegations that her godfather had molested her as a child; her father, Jack, and stepmother, Angela, resented the allegations and stopped speaking to her. Angela told People magazine, "Jack and I did not talk to her for two years. She constantly lies. The whole family won't have anything to do with her. She's nothing but an angry woman.” A 2013 television documentary film Running from Crazy, in which Margaux's sister Mariel speaks of the Hemingway family history of alcoholism, drug addiction, and suicide, contains documentary film excerpts that had been filmed by Margaux prior to her death. Death On July 1, 1996, Hemingway was found dead in her studio apartment in Santa Monica. Though her body was found reportedly badly decomposed on July 1, the official autopsy and California death records list it as her date of death. She had taken an overdose of phenobarbital, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's toxicology report one month later, though her family had difficulty accepting the fact of her suicide. Mariel Hemingway's husband told People Magazine in 1996 that, "This year was the best I'd seen Margaux in years. She had gotten herself back together," but in a December 2005 episode of Larry King Live, Mariel said she now accepted Margaux's death as a suicide. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! The Donation: https://bit.ly/2IqoJMh The site link: http://celebrityarchaeology.com/podcastepisode40]]>13:15noPODCAST EPISODE 39 - Roy ScheiderWed, 06 Jun 2018 17:26:32 +0000﻿ Roy Richard Scheider (November 10, 1932, was an American actor and amateur boxer. Scheider gained fame for his leading and supporting roles in several iconic films from the 1970s, playing NYPD Detective Buddy "Cloudy" Russo in The French Connection (1971); NYPD Detective Buddy Manucci in The Seven Ups (1973); Police Chief Martin C. Brody in Jaws (1975) and Jaws 2 (1978); Doc in Marathon Man (1976); choreographer and film director Joe Gideon (whose character was based on Bob Fosse) in All That Jazz (which was written and directed by Fosse) (1979); and Dr. Heywood R. Floyd in the 1984 film 2010, the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Scheider is also known for playing Captain Nathan Bridger in the science fiction television series seaQuest DSV (1993–1996). Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", Scheider was nominated for two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. Early life Scheider was born in Orange, New Jersey, the son of Anna and auto mechanic Roy Bernhard Scheider. Scheider's mother was of Irish descent with an Irish Catholic background, while his father was a Protestant German American. As a child, Scheider was an athlete, participating in organized baseball and boxing competitions, for which he was classed as a welterweight, weighing in at 140 lbs. Scheider competed in the Diamond Gloves Boxing Tournament in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, graduating in 1950, and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1985. He traded his boxing gloves for the stage, studying drama at both Rutgers University and Franklin and Marshall College, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Amateur boxing Between 1946 and 1949, Scheider boxed as an amateur in New Jersey. Scheider said in a television interview in the 1980s that he took up boxing to lose weight. He said he had no desire to fight, but that his trainer, Georgie Ward, encouraged him to compete. In his second bout, at the 1946 Diamond Gloves Tournament (Golden Gloves), Scheider suffered a broken nose and lost by technical knockout in two rounds to Myron Greenberg. He went on, however, to post an 8–1 record with 6 knockouts, reversing the defeat to Greenberg in the process. Military service Scheider served three years in the United States Air Force as a First lieutenant in Air Operations from 1955 to 1958. He then became a reservist Captain in the Air Force Reserve Command until 1964. Acting career Scheider appeared with the New York Shakespeare Festival, and won an Obie Award in 1968. On television, Scheider played running roles on two CBS soap operas, Love of Life and The Secret Storm, and also played character roles in episodes of Coronet Blue and N.Y.P.D. Scheider's first film role was in the 1964 horror film The Curse of the Living Corpse. (He was billed as "Roy R. Scheider"). In 1971, he appeared in two highly popular films, Klute and The French Connection; the latter, in which he played a fictionalized version of New York City detective Sonny Grosso, gained him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His first starring role came in 1973 in The Seven-Ups, a quasi-follow-up to The French Connection, in which Scheider's character is once again based on Grosso. Two years later, he portrayed Chief Martin Brody in the 1975 Hollywood blockbuster Jaws which also starred Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss. Scheider's famous movie line, "You're gonna need a bigger boat", ad-libbed by Scheider,[10] was voted 35th on the American Film Institute's list of best movie quotes. In 1976, he appeared as secret agent Doc Levy in Marathon Man, with Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier. Scheider reunited with French Connection director William Friedkin in Sorcerer, a remake of the 1953 French film Le Salaire de la Peur (The Wages of Fear). He was originally cast in The Deer Hunter, the second movie of a three-movie deal with Universal Studios. However, despite being under contract, Scheider dropped out two weeks before the start of filming. Universal offered him the option of reprising his role as Martin Brody for a Jaws sequel, and would consider his contractual obligations fulfilled if he accepted. Scheider accepted, and Jaws 2 was released in 1978. In 1979, he received his second Academy Award nomination, this time as Best Actor in All That Jazz, in which he played a fictionalized version of the film's director and co-writer Bob Fosse. In 1983, he starred in Blue Thunder, a John Badham film about a fictitious technologically advanced prototype attack helicopter which provided security over the city of Los Angeles during the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. This was followed by a role as Dr. Heywood Floyd in Peter Hyams' 2010, a 1984 sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science fiction classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, in which William Sylvester originated the role of Floyd. One of his later parts was that of Dr. Benway in the 1991 film adaptation of William S. Burroughs' novel Naked Lunch. In 1990 he co-starred with Sean Connery in The Russia House as the smart-talking CIA liaison with MI6. Scheider played a mob boss in the Gary Oldman crime film Romeo Is Bleeding (1994) and a chief executive of a corrupt insurance company cross-examined by Matt Damon's character in 1997's John Grisham's The Rainmaker, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Scheider was lead star in the Steven Spielberg-produced television series SeaQuest DSV as Captain Nathan Bridger. During the second season, Scheider voiced disdain for the direction in which the series was heading. His comments were highly publicized, and the media criticized him for panning his own show. NBC made additional casting and writing changes in the third season, and Scheider decided to leave the show. His contract, however, required that he make several guest appearances that season. In 2007, Scheider received one of two annually-presented Lifetime Achievement Awards at the SunDeis Film Festival in Waltham, Massachusetts. Personal life Scheider's first marriage was to Cynthia Bebout on November 8, 1962. The couple had one daughter, Maximillia (1963–2006), before divorcing in 1986. On February 11, 1989, he married actress Brenda King, with whom he had a son, Christian Scheider, and adopted a daughter, Molly. They remained married until his death. Death In 2004, Scheider was found to have multiple myeloma, and he received a bone marrow transplant to treat the cancer in June 2005. He died on February 10, 2008, in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Hospital. After Scheider's death a biography entitled Roy Scheider: A Life was released as a tribute, compiling reviews, essays, and narration on his life and career. Filmography Film

]]>11:19noPODCAST EPISODE 38 - Jerry Van DykeTue, 05 Jun 2018 01:51:04 +0000Jerry McCord Van Dyke born July 27, 1931, was an American actor, musician and comedian. He was the younger brother of Dick Van Dyke. Van Dyke made his television acting debut on The Dick Van Dyke Show with several guest appearances as Rob Petrie's brother Stacey. While his infrequent starring roles were typically in poorly received sitcoms (My Mother the Car, one of the shows where he was the lead actor, is considered one of the worst sitcoms of all time), he enjoyed a long and successful career as a character actor in supporting and guest roles. From 1989 to 1997 he portrayed Luther Van Dam in tv’s Coach. Early life Van Dyke was born in Danville, Illinois on July 27, 1931, to Hazel Victoria, a stenographer, and Loren Wayne Van Dyke, a salesman. He was of Dutch, English, and Scottish descent. His mother was a Mayflower descendant. Van Dyke pursued his stand-up comedy career while still in Danville High School and was already a veteran of strip joints and nightclubs when he joined the United States Air Force Tops In Blue in 1954 and 1955. During the mid-1950s, Van Dyke worked at WTHI-TV in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Jerry Van Dyke Show, which included future CBS News Early Show news anchor Joseph Benti, Nancee South and Ben Falber, was popular fare. In the service, he performed at military bases around the world, twice winning the All Air Force Talent Show. Following his first guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show and two others on CBS's The Ed Sullivan Show, CBS made him a regular on The Judy Garland Show. He was also given hosting chores on the 1963 game show Picture This. In that same year, movie audiences saw him in supporting roles in McLintock!, Palm Springs Weekend and The Courtship of Eddie's Father. Television career In 1963 Van Dyke was cast on an episode of GE True, hosted by Jack Webb. When The Judy Garland Show was unsuccessfully revamped, Van Dyke left the program. He turned down the offer to play Gilligan on Gilligan's Island, a role which instead went to Bob Denver. He rejected as well an offer to replace Don Knotts as Sheriff Andy Taylor's deputy on The Andy Griffith Show. Van Dyke finally accepted the lead role of attorney David Crabtree in My Mother the Car (1965), the misadventures of a man whose deceased mother Gladys (voiced by Ann Sothern) is reincarnated as a restored antique car.[5] Though the series was a commercial failure, Van Dyke continued to work steadily in supporting television and film roles through the rest of the decade. He starred in another short-lived situation comedy Accidental Family (1967) as widowed comedian Jerry Webster who buys a farm to raise his son while he is not away on professional tours. He was also featured in Love and Kisses (1965) and as Andy Griffith's co-star in Angel in My Pocket (1969). During the 1970s Van Dyke returned to stand-up comedy. He spent much of the decade touring Playboy Clubs around the country and headlining venues in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, Summerfest in Milwaukee, and in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He returned to television for guest appearances on Love, American Style and Fantasy Island. In 1973 he portrayed Wes Callison, News Writer, on the season four episode "Son of 'But Seriously, Folks'" on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He also had roles in The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon (1976) and 13 Queens Boulevard (1979). Also in 1989 he appeared as a panelist in the pilot for the revival of Match Game, hosted by Bert Convy, but due to his brain tumor, he was later replaced by Ross Shafer when it was turned into a series in 1990. In 1988 he made a guest appearance on Scott Baio's sitcom Charles in Charge as Jamie Powell's health teacher Mr. Merkin. In 1989 Van Dyke began portraying beloved, yet befuddled, assistant coach Luther Van Dam on the long-running series Coach. For this role, he received four consecutive Emmy Award nominations (1990 through 1993) for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series”. Later career In his final television role in April 2015 he reprised his role as Frankie's father on The Middle, along with real-life brother Dick Van Dyke playing his character's brother. Personal life Van Dyke was married twice and had three children with first wife Carol, daughters Jerri Lynn and Kelly Jean and son Ronald.[5] Kelly Jean Van Dyke committed suicide in 1991, following struggles with substance abuse. Jerry and wife Shirley resided together on their 800-acre ranch near Hot Springs, Arkansas. Van Dyke was an avid poker player and announced a number of poker tournaments for ESPN in the late 1990s and early 2000s.[2] He was also a four-string banjo player with several performances on The Dick Van Dyke Show to his credit. Death On January 5, 2018, Van Dyke died at his Arkansas ranch, of heart failure at the age of 86. He was in declining health since being involved in a car accident two years earlier. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/celebrityarchaeology]]>09:26noPODCAST EPISODE 37 - Ice TSun, 03 Jun 2018 02:55:24 +0000Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American musician, rapper, songwriter, actor, record executive, record producer, and author. He began his career as an underground rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays; the second hip-hop album to carry an explicit content sticker after Slick Rick’s La Di Da Di. The following year, he founded the record label Rhyme Syndicate Records (named after his collective of fellow hip-hop artists called the "Rhyme Syndicate") and released another album, called Power. He co-founded the heavy metal band Body Count, which he introduced on his 1991 rap album O.G.: Original Gangster, on the track titled "Body Count." The band released their self-titled debut album in 1992. Ice-T encountered controversy over his track "Cop Killer," which glamorized killing police officers. Ice-T asked to be released from his contract with Warner Bros. Records, and his next solo album, Home Invasion, was released later in February 1993 through Priority Records. Body Count's next album was released in 1994, and Ice-T released two more albums in the late-1990s. Since 2000, he has portrayed NYPD Detective/Sergeant Odafin Tutuola on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Early life Tracy Lauren Marrow, son of Solomon and Alice Marrow, was born in Newark, New Jersey. Solomon was African-American, and Alice was Creole. For decades, Solomon worked as a conveyor belt mechanic at the Rapistan Conveyor Company. When Marrow was a child, his family moved to upscale Summit, New Jersey. The first time race played a major part in Marrow's life was at the age of seven, when he became aware of the racism leveled by his white friends towards black children, and that he escaped similar treatment because they thought that Marrow was white due to his lighter skin. Relaying this incident to his mother, she told him, "Honey, people are stupid"; her advice and this incident taught Marrow to control the way the negativity of others affected him. His mother died of a heart attack when he was in third grade. Solomon raised Marrow as a single father for four years, with help from a housekeeper.[5] Marrow's first experience with illicit activity occurred after a bicycle that his father "bought" him for Christmas was stolen. After Marrow told his father, Solomon shrugged, "Well, then, you ain't got no bike.” Marrow stole parts from bicycles and assembled "three or four weird-looking, brightly-painted bikes" from the parts; his father either did not notice or never acknowledged this. When Marrow was twelve years old, Solomon died of a heart attack. For many years, AllMusic.com has stated that his parents "died in an auto accident”, but Ice-T has stated that it was actually he who had been in a car accident, and that it was decades later. Following his father's death, the orphaned Marrow lived with a nearby aunt briefly, then was sent to live with his other aunt and her husband in View Park-Windsor Hills, an upper middle-class Black neighborhood in South Los Angeles. While his cousin Earl was preparing to leave for college, Marrow shared a bedroom with him. Earl was a fan of rock music and listened only to the local rock radio stations; sharing a room with him sparked Marrow's interest in heavy metal music. High school, early criminal activity, military service Marrow moved to the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles when he was in the eighth grade. He attended Palms Junior High, which was predominantly made up of white students, and included black students who travelled by bus from South Central to attend. He then attended Crenshaw High School, which was almost entirely made up of black students. Marrow stood out from most of his friends because he did not drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, or use drugs. During Marrow's time in high school, gangs became more prevalent in the Los Angeles school system. Students who belonged to the Bloods and Crips gangs attended Crenshaw, and fought in the school's hallways. Marrow, while never an actual gang member, was affiliated with the Crips. Marrow began reading the novels of Iceberg Slim, which he memorized and recited to his friends, who enjoyed hearing the excerpts and told him, "Yo, kick some more of that by Ice, T," giving Marrow his famous nickname. Marrow and other Crips wrote and performed "Crip Rhymes”. His music career started with the band of the singing group The Precious Few of Crenshaw High School. Marrow and his group opened the show, dancing to a live band. The singers were Thomas Barnes, Ronald Robinson and Lapekas Mayfield. In 1975, at the age of seventeen, Marrow began receiving Social Security benefits resulting from the death of his father and used the money to rent an apartment for $90 a month. He sold cannabis and stole car stereos to earn extra cash, but he was not making enough to support his pregnant girlfriend. Once his daughter was born, he joined the United States Army. Marrow served a four-year tour in the 25th Infantry Division and was associated with a group of soldiers charged with the theft of a rug. While awaiting trial, he received a $2,500 bonus check and went absent without leave, returning a month later, after the rug had been returned. Marrow received a non-judicial punishment as a consequence of his dereliction of duty. During his spell in the Army, Marrow became interested in hip hop music. He heard The Sugar Hill Gang's newly released single "Rapper's Delight," which inspired him to perform his own raps over the instrumentals of this and other early hip-hop records. The music, however, did not fit his lyrics or form of delivery. When he was stationed in Hawaii (where prostitution was not a heavily prosecuted crime) as a squad leader at Schofield Barracks, Marrow met a pimp named Mac. Mac admired that Marrow could quote Iceberg Slim and he taught Marrow how to be a pimp himself. Marrow was also able to purchase stereo equipment cheaply in Hawaii, including two Technics turntables, a mixer, and large speakers. Once equipped, he then began to learn turntablism and rapping. Towards the end of his tenure in the Army, Marrow learned from his commanding officer that he could receive an honorable discharge because he was a single father, so he left four months ahead of schedule. During an episode of The Adam Carolla Podcast that aired on June 6, 2012, Marrow claimed that after being discharged from the Army, he began a career as a bank robber. Marrow claimed he and some associates began conducting take-over bank robberies "like [in the film] Heat." Marrow then elaborated, explaining, "Only punks go for the drawer, we gotta go for the safe." Although Marrow may have been lying about his bank robbing exploits, he also stated he was glad the United States justice system has statutes of limitations, which had likely expired when Marrow admitted to his involvement in multiple Class 1 Felonies in the early-to-mid 1980s. Career Music Early career (1980–1981) After leaving the Army, Marrow wanted to stay away from gang life and violence and instead make a name for himself as a disc jockey.[13] As a tribute to Iceberg Slim, Marrow adopted the stage name Ice-T. While performing as a DJ at parties, he received more attention for his rapping, which led Ice-T to pursue a career as a rapper. After breaking up with his girlfriend Caitlin Boyd, he returned to a life of crime and robbed jewelry stores with his high school friends. Ice-T's raps later described how he and his friends pretended to be customers to gain access before smashing the display glass with baby sledgehammers. Ice-T's friends Al P. and Sean E. Sean went to prison. Al P. was caught in 1982 and sent to prison for robbing a high-end jewelry store in Laguna Niguel for $2.5 million in jewelry. Sean was arrested for possession of not only cannabis, which Sean sold, but also material stolen by Ice-T. Sean took the blame and served two years in prison. Ice-T stated that he owed a debt of gratitude to Sean because his prison time allowed him to pursue a career as a rapper. Concurrently, he wound up in a car accident and was hospitalized as a John Doe because he did not carry any form of identification due to his criminal activities. After being discharged from the hospital, he decided to abandon the criminal lifestyle and pursue a professional career rapping. Two weeks after being released from the hospital, he won an open mic competition judged by Kurtis Blow. Professional career (1982–present) In 1982, Ice-T met producer Willie Strong from Saturn Records. In 1983, Strong recorded Ice-T's first single, "Cold Wind Madness", also known as "The Coldest Rap", an electro hip-hop record that became an underground success, becoming popular even though radio stations did not play it due to the song's hardcore lyrics. That same year, Ice-T released "Body Rock," another electro hip-hop single that found popularity in clubs. Ice-T then was a featured rapper on "Reckless", a single by DJ Chris "The Glove" Taylor that appeared on the soundtrack for the 1984 movie Breakin'. He next recorded the songs "Ya Don't Quit" and "Dog'n the Wax (Ya Don't Quit-Part II)" with Unknown DJ, who provided a Run–D.M.C.-like sound for the songs. Ice-T received further inspiration as an artist from Schoolly D's gangsta rap single "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?", which he heard in a club. Ice-T enjoyed the single's sound and delivery, as well as its vague references to gang life, although the real life gang, Park Side Killers, was not named in the song. Ice-T decided to adopt Schoolly D's style, and wrote the lyrics to his first gangsta rap song, "6 in the Mornin'", in his Hollywood apartment, and created a minimal beat with a Roland TR-808. He compared the sound of the song, which was recorded as a B-Side on the single "Dog'n The Wax", to that of the Beastie Boys. The single was released in 1986, and he learned that "6 in the Mornin'" was more popular in clubs than its A-side, leading Ice-T to rap about Los Angeles gang life, which he described more explicitly than any previous rapper. He intentionally did not represent any particular gang, and wore a mixture of red and blue clothing and shoes to avoid antagonizing gang-affiliated listeners, who debated his true affiliation. Ice-T finally landed a deal with a major label Sire Records. When label founder and president Seymour Stein heard his demo, he said, "He sounds like Bob Dylan."[19] Shortly after, he released his debut album Rhyme Pays in 1987 supported by DJ Evil E, DJ Aladdin and producer Afrika Islam, who helped create the mainly party-oriented sound. The record wound up being certified gold by the RIAA. That same year, he recorded the title theme song for Dennis Hopper's Colors, a film about inner-city gang life in Los Angeles. His next album Power was released in 1988, under his own label Rhyme Syndicate, and it was a more assured and impressive record, earning him strong reviews and his second gold record. Released in 1989, The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say established his popularity by matching excellent abrasive music with narrative and commentative lyrics. In the same year, he appeared on Hugh Harris's single Alice. In 1991, he released his album O.G. Original Gangster, which is regarded as one of the albums that defined gangsta rap. On OG, he introduced his heavy metal band Body Count in a track of the same name. Ice-T toured with Body Count on the first annual Lollapalooza concert tour in 1991, gaining him appeal among middle-class teenagers and fans of alternative music genres. The album Body Count was released in March 1992.[1] For his appearance on the heavily collaborative track "Back on the Block", a composition by jazz musician Quincy Jones that "attempt[ed] to bring together black musical styles from jazz to soul to funk to rap", Ice-T won a Grammy Award for the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, an award shared by others who worked on the track including Jones and fellow jazz musician Ray Charles. Controversy later surrounded Body Count over its song "Cop Killer". The rock song was intended to speak from the viewpoint of a criminal getting revenge on racist, brutal cops. Ice-T's rock song infuriated government officials, the National Rifle Association and various police advocacy groups.[1][22] Consequently, Time Warner Music refused to release Ice-T's upcoming album Home Invasion because of the controversy surrounding "Cop Killer". Ice-T suggested that the furor over the song was an overreaction, telling journalist Chuck Philips "...they've done movies about nurse killers and teacher killers and student killers. Arnold Schwarzenegger blew away dozens of cops as the Terminator. But I don't hear anybody complaining about that." In the same interview, Ice-T suggested to Philips that the misunderstanding of Cop Killer, the misclassification of it as a rap song (not a rock song), and the attempts to censor it had racial overtones: "The Supreme Court says it's OK for a white man to burn a cross in public. But nobody wants a black man to write a record about a cop killer." [22] When Ice split amicably with Sire/Warner Bros. Records after a dispute over the artwork of the album Home Invasion, he reactivated Rhyme Syndicate and formed a deal with Priority Records for distribution. Priority released Home Invasion in the spring of 1993.[23] The album peaked at #9 on Billboard magazine's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at #14 on the Billboard 200,[24] spawning several singles including "Gotta Lotta Love", "I Ain't New To This" and "99 Problems" – which would later inspire Jay-Z to record a version with new lyrics in 2003. Ice-T had also collaborated with certain other heavy metal bands during this time period. For the film Judgment Night, he did a duet with Slayer on the track "Disorder".[25] In 1995, Ice-T made a guest performance on Forbidden by Black Sabbath. Another album of his, VI – Return of the Real, was released in 1996, followed by The Seventh Deadly Sin in 1999. His first rap album since 1999, Gangsta Rap, was released on October 31, 2006. The album's cover, which "shows [Ice-T] lying on his back in bed with his ravishing wife's ample posterior in full view and one of her legs coyly draped over his private parts," was considered to be too suggestive for most retailers, many of which were reluctant to stock the album.[27] Some reviews of the album were unenthusiastic, as many had hoped for a return to the political raps of Ice-T's most successful albums. Ice-T appears in the film Gift. One of the last scenes includes Ice-T and Body Count playing with Jane's Addiction in a version of the Sly and the Family Stone song "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey.” Besides fronting his own band and rap projects, Ice-T has also collaborated with other hard rock and metal bands, such as Icepick, Motörhead, Slayer, Pro-Pain, and Six Feet Under. He has also covered songs by hardcore punk bands such as The Exploited, Jello Biafra, and Black Flag. Ice-T made an appearance at Insane Clown Posse's Gathering of the Juggalos (2008 edition).[28] Ice-T was also a judge for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.[29] His 2012 film Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap features a who's who of underground and mainstream rappers. In November 2011, Ice-T announced via Twitter that he was in the process of collecting beats for his next LP which was expected sometime during 2012, but as of October 2014, the album has not been released. A new Body Count album, Bloodlust, was released in 2017. After the release of the album, responding to an interview question asking if he's "done with rap", he answered "I don't know" and noted that he's "really leaning more toward EDM right now". Acting Television and film Ice-T's first film appearances were in the motion pictures, Breakin' (1984), and its sequel, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1985). These films were released before Ice-T released his first LP, although he appears on the soundtrack to Breakin'. He has since stated he considers the films and his own performance in them to be “wack". In 1991, he embarked on a serious acting career, portraying police detective Scotty Appleton in Mario Van Peebles' action thriller New Jack City, gang leader Odessa (alongside Denzel Washington and John Lithgow) in Ricochet (1991), gang leader King James in Trespass (1992), followed by a notable lead role performance in Surviving the Game (1994), in addition to many supporting roles, such as J-Bone in Johnny Mnemonic (1995), and the marsupial mutant T-Saint in Tank Girl (1995). He was also interviewed in the Brent Owens documentary Pimps Up, Ho's Down,[34] in which he claims to have had an extensive pimping background before getting into rap. He is quoted as saying "once you max something out, it ain't no fun no more. I couldn't really get no farther." He goes on to explain his pimping experience gave him the ability to get into new businesses. "I can't act, I really can't act, I ain't no rapper, it's all game. I'm just working these niggas." Later he raps at the Players Ball. In 1993, Ice-T along with other rappers and the three Yo! MTV Raps hosts Ed Lover, Doctor Dré and Fab 5 Freddy starred in the comedy Who's the Man?, directed by Ted Demme. In the movie, he is a drug dealer who gets really frustrated when someone calls him by his real name, "Chauncey," rather than his street name, "Nighttrain." In 1995, Ice-T had a recurring role as vengeful drug dealer Danny Cort on the television series New York Undercover, co-created by Dick Wolf. His work on the series earned him the 1996 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 1997, he co-created the short-lived series Players, produced by Wolf. This was followed by a role as pimp Seymour "Kingston" Stockton in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998). These collaborations led Wolf to add Ice-T to the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Since 2000 he has portrayed Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, a former undercover narcotics officer transferred to the Special Victims Unit. In 2002, the NAACP awarded Ice-T with a second Image Award, again for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, for his work on Law & Order: SVU. Around 1995, Ice-T co-presented a UK-produced magazine television series on black culture, Baadasss TV. In 1997, Ice-T had a pay-per-view special titled Ice-T's Extreme Babes which appeared on Action PPV, formerly owned by BET networks. In 1999, Ice-T starred in the HBO movie Stealth Fighter as a United States Naval Aviator who fakes his own death, steals a F-117 stealth fighter, and threatens to destroy United States military bases. He also acted in the movie Sonic Impact, released the same year. Ice-T made an appearance on the comedy television series Chappelle's Show as himself presenting the award for "Player Hater of the Year" at the "Player-Haters Ball", a parody of his own appearance at the Players Ball. He was dubbed the "Original Player Hater.” Beyond Tough, a 2002 documentary series, aired on Discovery Channel about the world's most dangerous and intense professions, such as alligator wrestlers and Indy 500 pit crews, was hosted by Ice-T. In 2007, Ice-T appeared as a celebrity guest star on the MTV sketch comedy show Short Circuitz. Also in late 2007, he appeared in the short-music film Hands of Hatred, which can be found online. Ice-T was interviewed for the Cannibal Corpse retrospective documentary Centuries of Torment, as well as appearing in Chris Rock's 2009 documentary Good Hair, in which he reminisced about going to school in hair curlers. A 2016 advertisement for GEICO features Ice-T behind a lemonade stand run by children. When people ask if it's Ice-T, the actor yells back, "No, it's lemonade!” Voice acting Ice-T voiced Madd Dogg in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as well as Agent Cain in Sanity: Aiken's Artifact. He also appears as himself in Def Jam: Fight for NY and UFC: Tapout fighting video games. He also voiced the character Aaron Griffin in the video game Gears of War 3. He was the voice of Jackie A in Tommy and the Cool Mule. He voiced over the "LawBreakers" announcement trailer. Other ventures Podcasting On December 27, 2013, Ice-T announced that he was entering podcasting in a deal with the Paragon Collective. Ice-T co-hosts the Ice-T: Final Level podcast[45] with his longtime friend, Mick Benzo (known as Zulu Beatz on Sirius XM). They discuss relevant issues, movies, video games, and do a behind the scenes of Law Order: SVU segment with featured guests from the entertainment world. The show will release new episodes bi-weekly. Guests have included Jim Norton.[46] Ice-T released his first episode on January 7 to many accolades. Reality television On October 20, 2006, Ice-T's Rap School aired and was a reality television show on VH1. It was a spin-off of the British reality show Gene Simmons' Rock School, which also aired on VH1. In Rap School, rapper/actor Ice-T teaches eight teens from York Preparatory School in New York called the "York Prep Crew" ("Y.P. Crew" for short). Each week, Ice-T gives them assignments and they compete for an imitation gold chain with a microphone on it. On the season finale on November 17, 2006, the group performed as an opening act for Public Enemy. On June 12, 2011, E! reality show Ice Loves Coco debuted. The show is mostly about his relationship with his wife of ten years, Nicole "Coco" Austin. Personal life In 1976, Marrow's girlfriend Adrienne gave birth to their daughter LeTesha (born March 20, 1976) and they attended high school while raising her.[12] While filming Breakin' in 1984, he met his second girlfriend Darlene Ortiz, who had been at the club in which the film was being shot. They began a relationship and Ortiz was featured on the covers of Rhyme Pays and Power.[18] Ice-T and Ortiz had son Ice Tracy Marrow in 1992.[18] Ice-T married swimsuit model Nicole "Coco Marie" Austin in January 2002. In celebration of their impending 9th wedding anniversary, the couple renewed their wedding vows on June 4, 2011. As of 2006 they owned a penthouse apartment in North Bergen, New Jersey. In 2012 they were building a five-bedroom house in Edgewater, New Jersey, that was expected to be completed by the end of the year. On November 28, 2015, the couple announced their child Chanel Nicole Marrow had been born, without specifying the exact date. Personal disputes LL Cool J Ice-T had a feud with LL Cool J in the late 1980s, and early 1990s. Apparently, this was instigated by LL's claim to be "the baddest rapper in the history of rap itself". Ice-T recorded disses against LL on his 1988 album Power. On the album was the track, "I'm Your Pusher", in which a rap music addict declines to buy an LL Cool J record. The album also contains the posse rap track, "The Syndicate", which took aim at LL's lyrical ability, claiming that rapping about oneself so frequently was a "first grade topic".[59] The song also mocked the song's hook "I'm Bad", which identified it as an LL diss specifically. In the book Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies, Ice-T said that the song "Girls L.G.B.N.A.F." was also intended as a diss to LL Cool J, by making a crude song to contrast with the love songs that LL was making at the time.[60] On LL's response, To da Break of Dawn in 1990, he dissed Kool Moe Dee (whose feud with LL was far more publicized) as well as MC Hammer. He then devoted the third verse of the song to dissing Ice-T, mocking his rap ability ("take your rhymes around the corner to rap rehab"), his background ("before you rapped, you was a downtown car thief"), and his style ("a brother with a perm deserves to get burned"). He also suggested that the success of Power was due to the appearance of Ice-T's girlfriend Darlene on the album cover. Ice-T appeared to have ignored the insults and he had also defended LL Cool J after his arrest in the song "Freedom of Speech”. In August 2012, Ice-T said that the rivalry was "never serious" and that he needed a nemesis to create "an exciting dispute”. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The Podcast on Player FM: https://player.fm/series/the-celebrity-archaeology-podcast The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/celebrityarchaeology]]>17:57noPODCAST EPISODE 36 - Bo DerekWed, 30 May 2018 16:31:03 +0000Bo Derek, born Mary Cathleen Collins; November 20, 1956) is an American film and television actress, film producer, and model perhaps best known for her breakthrough role in the 1979 film 10. The film also launched a bestselling poster for Derek in a swimsuit, and subsequently she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1980s. She was directed by husband John Derek in Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981), Bolero (1984) and Ghosts Can't Do It (1989), all of which received negative reviews. A widow since 1998, she lives with actor John Corbett. Now in semi-retirement, she makes occasional film, television, and documentary appearances. Early life Her father, Paul Collins, was a Hobie Cat executive, and her mother, Norma, was a make-up artist and hairdresser to Ann-Margret. Collins' parents divorced, and her mother married American stunt performer Bobby Bass. Collins attended Narbonne High School and George S. Patton Continuation School, both in Harbor City, California. She remarked in a 1985 interview on Late Night with David Letterman:

"I was 16 when I quit high school. I didn't really mean to quit. I spent about a month going to the beach surfing and sunbathing while I was supposed to be in school: when I got caught, my mom was furious. I started to go back to school, and I was really enjoying it, and then I went to go do this film with John in Greece."

Acting While attending Narbonne High School in Los Angeles at age 16 in 1973, Collins became romantically involved with John Derek, a married man 30 years her senior. Not long after the two started dating, Derek divorced his wife, actress Linda Evans. The couple moved to Germany, where John Derek would not be subject to prosecution under California statutory rape laws due to Collins' underage association with him. In 1973 John Derek began production on a film entitled Fantasies, a low-budget, English-language romantic drama starring Collins and several unknown German actors. The film was shot over a 10-day period in Greece. In an effort to capitalize on Collins' beauty, Derek worked into the film several risqué scenes, including brief nudity. John Derek twice re-edited the film in an effort to sell it to major studios. The film remained unreleased until 1981, at which time it received negative notices. Collins and John Derek married on June 10, 1976; she was 19 and he 49. By that time Derek had given his young wife a so-called Hollywood makeover: she had bleached her hair blonde and adopted the name Bo Derek. In 1977 director Michael Anderson cast Derek in a small role in his horror film Orca - The Killer Whale (1977), in which Derek has her leg bitten off by the title character. In 1979 Derek was allegedly selected over Melanie Griffith, Heather Thomas, and several others for the role of Jenny Hanley in the romantic comedy film 10. Directed by Blake Edwards, the film starred Dudley Moore as a middle-aged man who finds Derek's character to be the ideal woman. Derek's appearance in a dream sequence, racing towards Moore in a flimsy flesh-colored swimsuit, became iconic and launched her status as a mainstream sex symbol. This sequence and Derek’s cornrow hairstyle in the film have often been parodied. 10 was a critical and financial success. During a surprise 42nd birthday party for wealthy, well-known composer George Webber (played by Dudley Moore), thrown by his actress girlfriend Samantha Taylor, he finds he is coping badly with incipient middle age. From his car, George glimpses a bride-to-be and is instantly obsessed with her beauty, which he rates as "11" on a scale that goes up to 10. Following her to the church, he crashes into a police cruiser, is stung by a bee, and nearly disrupts the wedding ceremony. George impulsively boards a plane and follows the newlyweds to their exclusive resort in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. Tt the beach, George sees Bo Derek―wearing a swimsuit with her hair braided in cornrows―and is awestruck again by her beauty. He notices that David, her husband, has fallen asleep on his surfboard. George learns that beyond a certain point are powerful currents that can sweep a swimmer or surfer dangerously far from land. He rents a catamaran, clumsily but successfully rescues David, and becomes a hero. After dinner, in her room, Jenny smokes marijuana and then seduces George to the sounds of Maurice Ravel's Boléro. After 10, Derek was cast in A Change of Seasons (1980), a dramatic-comedy film that featured Shirley MacLaine and Anthony Hopkins. Derek played a college student who has an affair with her older, married professor. A Change of Seasons was only a moderate box-office success, with critics reviewing it and Derek's performance unfavorably.("The only appealing performance is Shirley MacLaine’s"). In 1980 Derek photographed Bo twice for Playboy magazine; she was featured again in the magazine in 1981, 1984, and 1994. In 1981 Derek appeared in MGM's R-rated Tarzan, the Ape Man, her first leading role in a mainstream Hollywood film. Directed by husband John Derek, the film dealt little with Tarzan and instead focused on Derek's character of Jane Parker, and specifically on Derek's physical attributes. Several scenes of Derek wearing revealing outfits were featured, along with nude scenes of Derek being bathed and body-painted. Prior to the film's release MGM and the film's distributor, United Artists, were sued by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate over the name of the film, as Derek's role and body overshadowed the story of Tarzan. Although the film received negative reviews from many critics, Tarzan, the Ape Man became a box-office success, making over $35 million in ticket sales and becoming the 15th highest-grossing film of 1981. For her performance, Derek shared the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress with Faye Dunaway, the latter for her starring role as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest. Derek starred in Bolero (1984). Directed by John Derek, the film explored the female protagonist's sexual awakening, and her journey around the world to find an ideal first lover to take her virginity. Its sexual nature, along with its substantial use of nudity, resulted in the film receiving an X rating, usually reserved for pornographic or extremely violent horror films. Critical reviews for Bolero, including Derek's performance, were negative. Bo Derek would be a lot more appealing if she tried less assiduously to please"), and the film failed to recoup its production costs. For her performance in Bolero Derek won her second Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress. The film received other Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Director (John Derek), Worst Screenplay (John Derek), Worst New Star (Olivia d'Abo), and Worst Musical Score. After a five-year hiatus Derek returned to feature films with the drama/comedy/fantasy Ghosts Can't Do It, an apparent imitation of the successful Ghost, a fantasy movie released the same year in the United States. The final teaming of Derek with her husband as director, Ghosts Can't Do It was a failure both critically ("[a] cinematic abomination") and financially. For her performance in Ghosts Can't Do It, during which she delivered such lines as "You have my heart...how can I live without my heart," Derek won her third Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress. The film also won Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Director (John Derek), and Worst Supporting Actor (Donald Trump). At the 20th Golden Raspberry Awards in 2000, Derek was nominated for Worst Actress of the Century, sharing the nomination with Madonna (the eventual winner), Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Berkley, and Pia Zadora. Relationships John and Bo moved to Germany and returned to the United States soon after Bo's 18th birthday; they married in 1976 and remained so until his death from heart failure in 1998. Since 2002, she has been involved with actor John Corbett. She continues to live in California with her sister, brother-in-law, and their two children. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The Podcast on Player FM: https://player.fm/series/the-celebrity-archaeology-podcast The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/celebrityarchaeology SaveSave]]>12:35noPODCAST EPISODE 35 - Goldie HawnMon, 28 May 2018 21:01:25 +0000Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, producer, and occasional singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968–70) before going on to receive the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Cactus Flower (1969). Hawn maintained bankable star status for more than three decades while appearing in films such as There's a Girl in My Soup (1970), Butterflies Are Free (1972), The Sugarland Express (1974), Shampoo (1975), Foul Play (1978), Seems Like Old Times (1980), and Private Benjamin (1980), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing the title role. Hawn's later work includes starring roles in the films Overboard (1987), Bird on a Wire (1990), Death Becomes Her (1992), Housesitter (1992), The First Wives Club (1996), and The Banger Sisters (2002). After a fifteen-year hiatus from film acting, Hawn made her comeback in Snatched (2017). She is the mother of actors Oliver Hudson, Kate Hudson, and Wyatt Russell, and has been in a relationship with actor Kurt Russell since 1983. In 2003, she founded The Hawn Foundation, which helps underprivileged children. Early life Hawn was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Laura Steinhoff; a jewelry shop/dance school owner, and Edward Rutledge Hawn, a band musician who played at major events in Washington. She was named after her mother's aunt. She has one sister, entertainment publicist Patti Hawn their brother, Edward Jr.) died as an infant shortly before Patti was conceived. Her father was a Presbyterian of German and English descent. Her mother was Jewish, the daughter of emigrants from Hungary. Hawn was raised Jewish. She was raised in Takoma Park, Maryland, and attended Montgomery Blair High School in nearby Silver Spring, Maryland. Hawn began taking ballet and tap dance lessons at the age of three and danced in the corps de ballet of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo production of The Nutcracker in 1955. She made her stage debut in 1964, playing Juliet in a Virginia Shakespeare Festival production of Romeo and Juliet. By 1964, she ran and taught in a ballet school, having dropped out of American University where she was majoring in drama. In 1964, Hawn made her professional dancing debut in a production of Can-Can at the Texas Pavilion of the New York World's Fair. She began working as a professional dancer a year later and appeared as a go-go dancer in New York City and at the Peppermint Box in New Jersey. Career Hawn moved to California to dance in a show at a theater across from Disneyland. Hawn began her acting career as a cast member of the short-lived CBS situation comedy Good Morning, World during the 1967–68 television season, her role being that of the girlfriend of a radio disc jockey, with a stereotypical "dumb blonde" personality. [caption id="attachment_1278" align="alignleft" width="232"] Goldie with Carl Reiner 1970[/caption] Her next role, which brought her to international attention, was as one of the regular cast members on the 1968–1973 sketch comedy show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. On the show, she would often break out into high-pitched giggles in the middle of a joke, and deliver a polished performance a moment after. Noted equally for her chipper attitude as for her bikini and painted body, Hawn was seen as something of the 1960s "It" girl. Her Laugh-In persona was parlayed into three popular film appearances in the late 1960s and early 1970s: Cactus Flower, There's a Girl in My Soup, and Butterflies Are Free. Hawn had made her feature film debut in a bit role as a giggling dancer in the 1968 film The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, in which she was billed as "Goldie Jeanne", but in her first major film role, in Cactus Flower (1969), she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as Walter Matthau's suicidal fiancée. 1970s After Hawn's Academy Award win, her film career took off. She starred in a string of above average and successful comedies starting with There's a Girl in My Soup (1970), and Butterflies Are Free (1972). She continued proving herself in the dramatic league with the 1974 satirical dramas The Girl from Petrovka and The Sugarland Express, and Shampoo in 1975. She also hosted two television specials: Pure Goldie in 1971 and The Goldie Hawn Special in 1978. The latter was a sort of comeback for Hawn, who had been out of the spotlight for two years since the 1976 release of The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox, while she was focusing on her marriage and the birth of her son. Hawn's next film, Mario Monicelli's Lovers and Liars (1979), was a box office bomb. In 1972 Hawn recorded and released a solo country LP for Warner Brothers, titled Goldie. It was recorded with the help of Dolly Parton and Buck Owens. AllMusic gave the album a favorable review, calling it a "sweetly endearing country-tinged middle of the road pop record”. 1980s Hawn's popularity continued into the 1980s, starting with another primetime variety special alongside actress and singer Liza Minnelli, Goldie and Liza Together (1980), which was nominated for four Emmy Awards. In the same year, Hawn took the lead role in Private Benjamin, a comedy she co-produced with her friend Nancy Meyers, who co-wrote the script. Meyers recalls Hawn's reaction when she first described the idea for the story: It was like watching the greatest audience I've ever seen. She laughed and then she got really emotional and her eyes would fill up with tears. She loved the image of herself in an Army uniform and she loved what the movie had to say. Private Benjamin, also stars Eileen Brennan and Armand Assante and garnered Hawn her second Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actress. Hawn's box office success continued with comedies like Seems Like Old Times (1980), written by Neil Simon, Protocol (1984), co-written by Nancy Meyers, and Wildcats (1986) — Hawn also served as executive producer on the latter two — and dramas like Best Friends (1982) and Swing Shift (1984). At the age of thirty-nine, Hawn posed for the cover of Playboy's January 1985 issue, in which she was the subject of the Playboy Interview. Her last film of the 1980s was opposite partner Kurt Russell, for the third time, in the comedy Overboard (1987). Hawn was absent from the screen for four years while caring for her mother who died of cancer in 1994.[4] Hawn made her entry back into film as producer of the satirical comedy Something to Talk About starring Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid, as well as making her directorial debut in the television film Hope (1997) starring Christine Lahti and Jena Malone. Hawn returned to the screen again in 1996 as the aging, alcoholic actress Elise Elliot in the financially and critically successful The First Wives Club, opposite Bette Midler and Diane Keaton, with whom she covered the Lesley Gore hit "You Don't Own Me" for the film's soundtrack. She continued her tenure in the 1990s with Woody Allen's musical Everyone Says I Love You (1996) and reuniting with Steve Martin for the comedy The Out-of-Towners (1999), a remake of the 1970 Neil Simon hit. The film was critically panned and was not successful at the box office.[20][21] In 1997, Hawn, along with her co-stars from The First Wives Club, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler, were recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Awards. In 1999, she was awarded the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year. 2000s In 2001 Hawn was reunited with former co-stars Warren Beatty (her co-star in Shampoo) and Diane Keaton for the comedy Town & Country, a critical and financial fiasco. Budgeted at an estimated US $90 million, the film opened to little notice and grossed only $7 million in its North American theatrical release. In 2002, she starred in The Banger Sisters, opposite Susan Sarandon and Geoffrey Rush, her last live-action film for fifteen years. In 2005 Hawn's autobiography, A Lotus Grows in the Mud, was published. In 2017, Hawn returned to the big screen for the first time since 2002, co-starring with Amy Schumer in the comedy Snatched, playing mother and daughter. Personal life Hawn has studied meditation. In a 2012 interview, she stated, "I don't think of myself as a Buddhist. I was born Jewish, and I consider that my religion." She also stated, "It's not the idea of a particular religion that's important; it's the development of a spiritual life." Relationships Hawn has had a relationship with actor Kurt Russell since Valentine's Day 1983. The couple first met while filming The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band in 1966, but became involved after re-connecting on the set of Swing Shift. They have a son, Wyatt (born July 10, 1986). Hawn is also the de facto stepmother of Russell and Season Hubley's son Boston. In 2000 and again in 2004, news outlets reported that Hawn and Russell were on the verge of breaking up. During the alleged separations, Hawn was linked to newsman Charles Glass and Pakistani politician Imran Khan. On the May 11, 2017 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Hawn quasi-confirmed longstanding rumors–which she previously had denied–of an affair with Warren Beatty during the filming of their 1971 heist movie Dollars. Hawn and Russell, who celebrated 35 years together in 2018, own homes in Vancouver, British Columbia; Snowmass Village, Colorado; Manhattan, New York; Brentwood and Palm Desert, California. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com]]>14:33noPODCAST EPISODE 34 - Macaulay CulkinMon, 28 May 2018 02:20:25 +0000Macaulay Carson Culkin (born August 26, 1980) is an American actor, author, painter, podcaster, musician,and president of Bunnyears. He started his acting career as a child actor. He became famous for portraying the role of Kevin McCallister in the Christmas film Home Alone (1990), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. He starred in the films My Girl (1991), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), The Good Son (1993), The Pagemaster (1994) and Richie Rich (1994). He has been nominated for Kids' Choice Awards, MTV Movie Awards, and Young Artist Awards. At the height of his fame, he was regarded as the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple. Culkin ranked at number two on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars" and E!'s list of the "50 Greatest Child Stars". In 1994, he took a break from his acting career, making his return in 2003, with a role on the television show Will and Grace and in the film Party Monster (2003). He wrote an autobiographical book, Junior, which was published in 2006. In 2013, Culkin co-founded the New York-based, pizza-themed comedy rock band the Pizza Underground, of which he was the vocalist. They toured in 2014, beginning in Brooklyn on January 24, 2014. On July 10, 2016, Culkin revealed that the Pizza Underground was splitting up and their next album would be the last. Early life [caption id="attachment_1262" align="alignleft" width="303"] Macaulay Culkin 1991 Photo By John Barrett/PHOTOlink.net[/caption] Macaulay Carson Culkin was born in New York City. His father, Christopher Cornelius "Kit" Culkin, is a former actor known for his productions on Broadway and is the brother of actress Bonnie Bedelia. His mother is Patricia Brentrup, who never married Culkin. He was named Macaulay after Thomas Babington Macaulay and Carson after Kit Carson of the Old West. Culkin was the third of seven children, five boys and two girls: Shane (born 1976), Dakota (1979–2008), Kieran (born 1982), Quinn (born 1984), Christian (born 1987), and Rory (born 1989). During Culkin's early childhood, the family lived in a small apartment; his mother was a telephone operator and his father worked as a sacristan at a local Catholic church. He was raised Roman Catholic and attended a Catholic school (St. Joseph's School of Yorkville) for five years before moving on to Professional Children's School. He also studied ballet at the School of American Ballet. Career 1985–1989: Early work Culkin began acting at the age of four. Early roles saw him appearing in a stage production of Bach Babies at the New York Philharmonic. He continued appearing in roles on stage, television, and films throughout the 1980s. He made a small appearance in the TV movie, The Midnight Hour (1985). In 1988, he appeared in an episode of the popular action television series, The Equalizer, in which he played a kidnapping victim, Paul Gephardt. He made his big-screen debut portraying the character of Cy Blue Black in the drama film, Rocket Gibraltar (1988). He played the role of Billy Livingstone in the romantic-comedy film, See You in the Morning (1989), starring Jeff Bridges, Alice Krige, Farrah Fawcett and Drew Barrymore. He starred as Miles Russell alongside actor John Candy in the comedy film, Uncle Buck (1989). 1990–1994: Breakthrough Culkin rose to fame with his lead role of Kevin McCallister in the highly successful blockbuster Christmas film, Home Alone (1990), where he was reunited with Uncle Buck writer and director John Hughes and Uncle Buck co-star John Candy, who played the role of Polka band member, Gus Polinski. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won an American Comedy Award and a Young Artist Award for his role as Kevin McCallister. In 1991, Culkin starred in an animated Saturday morning cartoon television series, Wish Kid, hosted Saturday Night Live and starred in Michael Jackson's "Black or White" music video. He starred as Thomas J. Sennett in the film, My Girl (1991), for which he was nominated for Best On-Screen Duo and won Best Kiss at the MTV Movie Awards, with Anna Chlumsky. He reprised his role of Kevin McCallister in the sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), for which he was nominated for a Kids' Choice Award. He played the role of Henry in the drama-thriller film, The Good Son (1993), which only did reasonably well (although he was nominated for MTV Movie Award in the category for Best Villain for his performance). He also appeared, while a student at the School of American Ballet, in a filmed version of The Nutcracker as the title role in 1993, which was staged by Peter Martins from the 1954 George Balanchine New York City Ballet version of the work. He was in the films, Getting Even with Dad (1994), The Pagemaster (1994) and Richie Rich (1994), which were all only mildly successful at the box office. 1994–2003: Career break In 1994, Macaulay took a break from acting after his 15th film in seven years. Desiring a "normal life," he went to a private high school in Manhattan. In 2000, Culkin returned to acting with a role in the play Madame Melville, which was staged in London's West End. In 2006, he published an experimental, semi-autobiographical novel, Junior, which featured details about Culkin's stardom and his shaky relationship with his father. On March 7 of the same year, he appeared alongside actors Matthew Broderick, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, and Jon Cryer in a tribute to the late John Hughes. Personal life/Legal issues On September 17, 2004, Culkin was arrested in Oklahoma City for the possession of 17.3 grams (0.61 oz) of marijuana and two controlled substances, 16.5 milligrams (0.25 grains) of Alprazolam and 32 milligrams (0.5 gr) of Clonazepam, for which he was briefly jailed, then released on a $4,000 bail. After being arraigned in court for misdemeanor drug offenses, he pleaded not guilty at the trial, then later reversed the plea to guilty. He received three one-year suspended prison sentences and was ordered to pay $540 in fees. Relationships Culkin stated in a May 27, 2004, interview on Larry King Live that he tends to refrain from disclosing aspects of his personal life, though he discussed his life as a child actor, the conflict in his family life (including his estrangement from his father), and how he retired from acting at age 14. He relaxed this somewhat during a March 20, 2018 interview on Anna Faris' podcast. In it, he discussed what type of woman he is attracted to, and revealed that he lost his virginity when he was 15. Though he declined to name his partner, he stated, "It wasn't gross or weird. We planned it". Culkin married actress Rachel Miner in 1998 when they were both 18, but the couple separated in 2000 and divorced in 2002. Culkin began dating actress Mila Kunis in May 2002. By 2006, he was residing in New York, and Kunis was in Los Angeles.[35] On January 3, 2011, Kunis's publicist confirmed reports that Culkin and Kunis had ended their relationship several months previously, saying, "The split was amicable, and they remain close friends.” Culkin had been dating former All My Children actress Jordan Lane Price in 2013 but later broke up.[37] Since 2013, Culkin lives in Paris. As of October 2017, Culkin has been in a relationship with his Changeland co-star Brenda Song. Friendship with Michael Jackson Around the time of the first Home Alone movie, Culkin became close friends with pop singer Michael Jackson, making an appearance in Jackson's "Black or White" music video. After sexual abuse allegations involving Michael Jackson, Culkin spoke at Jackson's trial, and reported he had slept in Jackson's bedroom on countless occasions but also stated that Jackson's bedroom was arranged over two stories and that Jackson had never sexually molested him or touched him in improper ways. Culkin referred to the allegations as "absolutely ridiculous". Culkin attended Jackson's burial on September 3, 2009. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The Podcast on Player FM: https://player.fm/series/the-celebrity-archaeology-podcast The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/celebrityarchaeology SaveSave]]>12:51noPODCAST EPISODE 33 - Farrah's AngelsSat, 26 May 2018 22:49:09 +0000Farrah Leni Fawcett (originally spelled Ferrah, born February 2, 1947, was an American actress, model, and artist. A four-time Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she posed for her iconic red swimsuit poster – which became the best selling pin-up poster in history – and starred as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels (1976–1977). In 1996, she was ranked No. 26 on TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV stars of All-Time”. In 1969, Fawcett began her career when she appeared in commercials and guest roles on television. During the 1970s, she appeared in numerous television series, including recurring roles on Harry O (1974–1976), and The Six Million Dollar Man (1974–1978) with her first husband, film and television star Lee Majors. Her breakthrough role came in 1976 when she was cast as Jill Munroe in the ABC series Charlie's Angels, alongside Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith. The show propelled all three to stardom, but especially Fawcett (then billed as "Farrah Fawcett-Majors"). After appearing in only the first season, Fawcett decided to leave the show, which led to legal disputes. She eventually signed a contract that required her to make six guest appearances in the show's third and fourth seasons (1978–1980). For her role in Charlie's Angels, she received her first Golden Globe nomination. In 1983, Fawcett received positive reviews for her performance in the Off-Broadway play Extremities. She was subsequently cast in the 1986 film version and received a Golden Globe nomination. She received two Emmy Award nominations for her roles in TV movies, as a battered wife in the 1984 film The Burning Bed and real-life murderer Diane Downs in the 1989 film Small Sacrifices. Her 1980s work in TV movies also earned her four additional Golden Globe nominations. [caption id="attachment_1240" align="alignleft" width="300"] Farrah Fawcett in 2000 Photo: John Barrett/PHOTOlink.net[/caption] In 1997, she gained some negative press for a rambling appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman but also garnered strong reviews for her role in the film The Apostle with Robert Duvall. She continued in numerous TV series, including recurring roles in the sitcom Spin City (2001) and the drama The Guardian (2002–2003). For the latter, she received her third Emmy nomination. Her film roles include, Love Is a Funny Thing (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970), Logan's Run (1976), Sunburn (1979), Saturn 3 (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), Extremities (1986), The Apostle (1997), and Dr. T & the Women (2000). Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006 and died three years later at age 62. The 2009 NBC documentary Farrah's Story chronicled her battle with the disease. She posthumously earned her fourth Emmy nomination for her work as a producer on the documentary. Early life Fawcett was born in 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas; she was the younger of two daughters. Her mother, Pauline Alice Fawcett, was a homemaker, and her father, James William Fawcett, was an oil field contractor. Her elder sister, Diane Fawcett Walls, was a graphic artist. She was of Irish, French, English and Choctaw Native American ancestry. Fawcett once said the name "Farrah" was "made up" by her mother because it went well with their last name. Another theory is that her father, an oilman, reportedly named her "Farah" after the Arabic word for "joy", and she reportedly asked to change the spelling to “Farrah". A Roman Catholic, Fawcett began her early education at the parish school of the church her family attended, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Corpus Christi. She graduated from W. B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, where she was voted "most beautiful" by her classmates in her freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school. For three years (1965–68), she attended the University of Texas, where she studied microbiology before switching to an art major. She lived at Madison House on 22nd Street, west of campus, and was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. During her freshman year, she was named one of the "ten most beautiful coeds on campus"; it was the first time that a freshman had been chosen for the honor. Her photos were sent to various agencies in Hollywood. David Mirisch, a Hollywood agent, called her and urged her to come to Los Angeles. She turned him down, but he called her for the next two years. Finally, in 1968 (the summer following her junior year), Fawcett moved to Hollywood with her parents' permission to "try her luck" in the entertainment industry. Career When Fawcett arrived in Hollywood at age 21 in 1968, Screen Gems signed her to a $350-a-week contract. She began to appear in commercials for such products as Noxzema, Max Factor, Mercury Cougar automobiles, and Beautyrest mattresses, among others. Her earliest acting appearances were guest spots on The Flying Nun (1969) and I Dream of Jeannie (1969–70). She made numerous other TV appearances, including Getting Together, Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, Mayberry R.F.D., and The Partridge Family.[5] She appeared in four episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man with husband Lee Majors, on The Dating Game and S.W.A.T, and had a recurring role on Harry O alongside David Janssen as the title character's girlfriend, Sue. She had a sizable part in the 1969 French romantic-drama Love Is a Funny Thing. She also played the role of Mary Ann Pringle in Myra Breckinridge (1970). Rise to stardom [caption id="attachment_1242" align="alignleft" width="281"] Fawcett (left) with Cher on The Sonny & Cher Show in 1976/Public Domain[/caption] In 1976, Pro Arts Inc. pitched the idea of a poster of Fawcett to her agent. A photo shoot was then arranged with photographer Bruce McBroom, who was hired by the poster company. According to friend Nels Van Patten, Fawcett styled her own hair and did her makeup without the aid of a mirror. Her blonde highlights were further heightened by a squeeze of lemon juice. Fawcett selected her six favorite pictures from 40 rolls of film, and the choice was eventually narrowed to the one that made her famous. The resulting image of Fawcett in a one-piece red bathing suit is the best-selling poster in history. Fawcett's iconic 1976 poster sold a record-breaking 20 million copies. Due to the popularity of her poster, Fawcett earned a supporting role in Michael Anderson's science-fiction film Logan's Run (1976) with Michael York. She and her husband, television star Lee Majors, were frequent tennis partners with producer Aaron Spelling. Spelling and his business partner eventually chose Fawcett to play Jill Munroe in their upcoming made-for-TV movie, Charlie's Angels, a movie of the week which aired on March 21, 1976, on ABC. The movie starred Fawcett (then billed as Farrah Fawcett-Majors), Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith as private investigators for Townsend Associates, a detective agency run by a reclusive multi-millionaire whom the women had never met. Voiced by John Forsythe, the Charles Townsend character presented cases and dispensed advice via a speakerphone to his core team of three female employees, whom he referred to as "Angels". They were aided in the office and occasionally in the field by two male associates, played by character actors David Doyle and David Ogden Stiers. The program quickly earned a huge following, leading the network to air it a second time and approve production for a series, with the pilot's principal cast minus Ogden Stiers. The Charlie's Angels series formally debuted on September 22, 1976. Each of the three actresses was propelled to stardom, but Fawcett dominated popularity polls and was soon proclaimed a phenomenon. She subsequently won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Performer in a New TV Program. In a 1977 interview with TV Guide, she said, "When the show was number three, I thought it was our acting. When we got to be number one, I decided it could only be because none of us wears a bra." Fawcett's appearance in the television show boosted sales of her poster, and she earned far more in royalties from poster sales than from her salary for appearing in Charlie's Angels. Her hairstyle went on to become an international trend, with women sporting a "Farrah-do", a "Farrah-flip", or simply "Farrah hair". Iterations of her hairstyle predominated among American women's hairstyles well into the 1980s.

[caption id="attachment_1241" align="aligncenter" width="667"] Farrah with Cary Grant 1978 Photo By Adam Scull/PHOTOlink.net[/caption] In the spring of 1977, Fawcett left Charlie's Angels after only one season. After a series of legal battles over her contract with ABC, Cheryl Ladd eventually succeeded her on the show, portraying Jill Munroe's younger sister Kris Munroe. Over the years, numerous explanations were offered for Fawcett's precipitous withdrawal from the show. Because her husband, Lee Majors, was the star of an established television show himself (ABC's Six Million Dollar Man which aired from 1974 to 1978), the strain on her marriage due to filming schedules that kept them apart for long periods was frequently cited, but her ambition to broaden her acting abilities in films has also been given as an explanation. She never officially signed her series contract with Spelling owing to protracted negotiations over royalties from her image's use in peripheral products, which led to an even more protracted lawsuit filed by Spelling and his company when she quit the show. As a result of leaving her contract four years early, she reluctantly signed a new contract with ABC stating that she would make six guest appearances on the series over a two-year period (1978–1980). Charlie's Angels was a major success throughout the world, maintaining its appeal in syndication and spawning (particularly in the show's first three seasons) a cottage industry of peripheral products, including several series of bubble gum cards, two sets of fashion dolls, numerous posters, puzzles, and school supplies, novelizations of episodes, toy vans, and a board game, all featuring Fawcett's likeness. The "Angels" also appeared on the covers of magazines around the world, from countless fan magazines to TV Guide (four times) to Time Magazine. Dramatic roles In 1980, Fawcett starred with Kirk Douglas in Stanley Donen's science-fiction film Saturn 3; the film earned unfavorable reviews from critics and experienced poor box office sales. The following year she starred alongside an ensemble cast, which included Burt Reynolds, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr., in the comedy The Cannonball Run (1981). Later that year, she co-starred with Katharine Ross, Sam Elliott, and Andy Griffith in the television movie Murder in Texas. In 1983, Fawcett won critical acclaim for her role in the Off-Broadway stage production of the controversial play Extremities, written by William Mastrosimone. Replacing Susan Sarandon, she played the role of an attempted rape victim who turns the tables on her attacker. She described the role as "the most grueling, the most intense, the most physically demanding and emotionally exhausting" of her career. The following year, her role as battered wife Francine Hughes in the fact-based television movie The Burning Bed (1984) earned her the first of her four Emmy Award nominations. The project is noted as being the first television movie to provide a nationwide 800 number that offered help for others in the situation, in this case, victims of domestic abuse. It was the highest-rated television movie of the season. In 1986, Fawcett appeared in the movie version of Extremities, which was also well received by critics and performed well financially. For her performance, she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. (At the time there was even talk and buzz about the possibility of her receiving an Oscar nomination for her role in the film.) She appeared in Jon Avnet's Between Two Women with Colleen Dewhurst and took several more dramatic roles as infamous or renowned women. She was nominated for Golden Globe awards for roles as Beate Klarsfeld in Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story and troubled Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton in Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story, and won a CableACE Award for her 1989 portrayal of groundbreaking LIFE magazine photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White in Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White. Art meets life Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Fawcett had steadfastly resisted signing a release for nude photographs of her to be published in magazines, even though she had briefly appeared topless in the 1980 film Saturn 3. She caused a major stir by posing semi-nude in the December 1995 issue of Playboy. At the age of 50, she appeared in a pictorial for the July 1997 issue of Playboy, which also became a top seller. The issue and its accompanying video featured Fawcett actually using her own body to paint on canvas; for years, this had been one of her ambitions. That same year, Robert Duvall chose Fawcett to play the role of his wife in The Apostle, which was an independent feature film that he was producing. She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination as Best Actress for the film, which was highly critically acclaimed. In 2000, she worked with director Robert Altman and an all-star cast in the feature film Dr. T & the Women, as the wife of Richard Gere. (Her character has a mental breakdown, leading to Fawcett's first fully nude appearance.) Personal life Fawcett began dating Lee Majors in the late 1960s. She was married to Majors from 1973 to 1982, although the couple separated in 1979. They had no children. During her marriage, she retained the name Farrah Fawcett-Majors in her screen credits. From 1979 until 1997, Fawcett was romantically involved with actor Ryan O'Neal.[45] The relationship produced a son, Redmond James Fawcett-O'Neal, born in 1985. In April 2009, Redmond was on probation for driving under the influence when he was arrested for possession of narcotics; Fawcett was in the hospital at the time. On June 22, 2009, The Los Angeles Times and Reuters reported that Ryan O'Neal had said that Fawcett had agreed to marry him as soon as she felt strong enough. Cancer Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006 and began treatment that included chemotherapy and surgery. Four months later, on February 2, 2007, her 60th birthday, the Associated Press reported that Fawcett was at that point cancer-free. However, in May 2007, Fawcett experienced a recurrence and was diagnosed with stage IV cancer that had metastasized to her liver (which has a 5-year survival rate of <20%); a malignant polyp was found where she had been treated for her initial cancer. Doctors contemplated whether to implant a radiation seeder (which differs from conventional radiation and is used to treat other types of cancer). Fawcett's U.S. doctors told her that she would require a colostomy. Not wanting to proceed with a colostomy for treatment of her stage IV cancer, she traveled to Germany for treatments described variously in the press as "holistic", "aggressive", and "alternative". There, Dr. Ursula Jacob prescribed a treatment including surgery to remove the anal tumor, a course of perfusion and embolization for her liver cancer by doctors in Germany, and chemotherapy back in Los Angeles. Although initially, the tumors were regressing, their reappearance a few months later necessitated a new course, this time including laser ablation therapy and chemoembolization. Aided by friend Alana Stewart, Fawcett documented her battle with the disease. Fawcett was released from the hospital on April 9. She was accompanied by longtime companion O'Neal, and according to her doctor, was "walking and in great spirits and looking forward to celebrating Easter at home.” [caption id="attachment_1245" align="alignleft" width="245"] Farrah Fawcett Ryan O'Neil Photo by Adam Scull/PHOTOlink.net

[/caption] A month later, on May 7, Fawcett was reported as being critically ill, with Ryan O'Neal quoted as saying she now spends her days at home, on an IV and often asleep. The Los Angeles Times reported that she was in the last stages of terminal cancer and had the chance to see her son Redmond in April 2009, although he was shackled and under supervision, because he was then incarcerated. Her 91-year-old father, James, flew out to Los Angeles to visit. Cancer specialist Dr. Lawrence Piro was treating Fawcett in L.A. He and Fawcett's friend—Angels co-star Kate Jackson, a breast cancer survivor—appeared together on The Today Show. They dispelled tabloid-fueled rumors, including suggestions that Fawcett had ever been in a coma, had ever reached 86 pounds, and had ever given up her fight against the disease or lost the will to live. Jackson decried such fabrications, saying they "really do hurt a human being and a person like Farrah." Piro recalled when it became necessary for Fawcett to undergo treatments that would cause her to lose her hair, acknowledging "Farrah probably has the most famous hair in the world", but also that it is not a trivial matter for any cancer patient, whose hair "affects [one's] whole sense of who [they] are". The two-hour documentary Farrah's Story, which was filmed by Fawcett and friend Alana Stewart, aired on NBC on May 15, 2009. At its premiere airing, the documentary was watched by nearly nine million people, and it was re-aired on the broadcast network's cable stations MSNBC, Bravo, and Oxygen. On July 16, 2009, Fawcett posthumously earned her fourth Emmy nomination as the producer of Farrah's Story. Death Fawcett died at 9:28 a.m. PST on June 25, 2009, at the age of 62, due to anal cancer, at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, with O'Neal and Stewart by her side. Funeral A private funeral was held in Los Angeles on June 30, 2009. Farrah's son Redmond was permitted to leave his California detention center in order to attend the service, where he gave the first reading. Fawcett was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/celebrityarchaeology SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave]]>25:44noPODCAST EPISODE 32 - The Tragedy of Anna Nicole SmithFri, 25 May 2018 01:48:42 +0000Anna Nicole Smith (born Vickie Lynn Hogan; November 28, 1967 – was an American model, actress, and television personality. Smith first gained popularity in Playboy, when she won the title of 1993 Playmate of the Year. She modeled for fashion companies including Guess, H&M, Heatherette, and Lane Bryant. Smith dropped out of high school at age 14 in 1982 and married 3 years later. Her highly publicized second marriage to 89-year old J. Howard Marshall, a billionaire as a result of his 16% ownership stake in Koch Industries, resulted in speculation that she married the octogenarian for his money, which she denied. Following Marshall's death, Smith began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate. Her cases reached the Supreme Court of the United States: Marshall v. Marshall on a question of federal jurisdiction and Stern v. Marshall on a question of bankruptcy court authority. During the final 6 months of her life, Smith was the focus of renewed press coverage surrounding the death of her son, Daniel Wayne Smith, and the paternity and custody battle over her newborn daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead. Smith died at age 39 on February 8, 2007, in a Hollywood, Florida hotel room as a result of an overdose of prescription drugs. Early life Smith was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Mexia, Texas. She was the daughter of Donald Eugene Hogan and Virgie Mae Arthur who married on February 22, 1967, and divorced on November 4, 1969. She had five half-siblings: Donna Hogan, David Tacker Jr., Donnie Hogan, Amy Hogan, and Donald Hart. Smith was raised by her mother and aunt. Virgie subsequently married Donald R. Hart in 1971. After Virgie married Donald, Smith changed her name from Vickie Hogan to Nikki Hart. Smith attended Durkee Elementary School and Aldine Senior High School in Houston. When she was in the ninth grade, she was sent to live with her mother's younger sister, Kay Beall, in Mexia, Texas. At Mexia High School, Smith failed her freshman year and dropped out of school during her Sophomore year. While working at Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken in Mexia, Smith met Billy Wayne Smith, who was a cook at the restaurant; the couple married on April 4, 1985. Modeling [caption id="attachment_1215" align="alignleft" width="200"] CelebrityArchaeology.com Anna Nicole Smith 2005 Photo By John Barrett-PHOTOlink.net[/caption] Smith appeared on the cover of the March 1992 issue of Playboy magazine, with her name given as Vickie Smith. She appeared as the Playboy Playmate of the Month in a pictorial shot by Stephen Wayda for the May 1992 issue. Smith then secured a contract to replace supermodel Claudia Schiffer in a Guess jeans ad campaign featuring a series of sultry black-and-white photographs. During the Guess campaign, Smith changed her name to Anna Nicole Smith. Guess photographers noticed Smith bore a striking resemblance to bombshell Jayne Mansfield and showcased her in several Mansfield-inspired photo sessions. In 1993 before Christmas, she modeled for the Swedish clothing company H&M. This led to her being pictured on large billboards in Sweden and Norway. In addition to Playboy, Smith appeared on the cover of German Marie Claire magazine, photographed by Peter Lindbergh. A photograph of Smith was used by New York magazine on the cover of its August 22, 1994, issue titled White Trash Nation. In the photo, she appears squatting in a short skirt with cowboy boots as she eats chips. In October 1994, her lawyer, T. Patrick Freydl, initiated a $5 million lawsuit against the magazine, claiming that Smith did not authorize the use of her photo; the suit also alleged that the article damaged her reputation. Her lawyer stated Smith was under the impression that she was being photographed to embody the "all-American look." Editor Kurt Andersen said that the photo was one of the dozens taken for the cover, further stating "I guess they just found the picture we chose unflattering." The lawsuit was reported to be settled. Film and television Smith was successful as a model, but she never found the same recognition or success as an actress. At age 26, she made her screen debut in the 1994 screwball comedy film, The Hudsucker Proxy. She appeared as Za-Za, a flirtatious celebrity who flirts with the lead character, played by Tim Robbins, in a barbershop scene. Smith was next given a larger role as Tanya Peters in Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994), which was released seven days after her initial film debut. Her role in the film, that of a pivotal contact to a crime, earned her favorable reviews and the film enjoyed box office success. Despite the publicity for her performance in both films, they each did very little to improve her acting career. Smith wanted to be taken more seriously as an actress, but Hollywood studios were reluctant. Her persona of a ditzy dumb blonde was compressed heavily in her film roles, which sought only to market her physical assets. In an attempt to earn acting respect, Smith agreed to appear in To the Limit (1995), which would be her first starring role. In the film, she played Colette Dubois, a retired spy seeking revenge on the murderer of her late husband. Although the film was highly publicized and boasted a lavish budget and script, Smith's performance drew negative reviews and it was an ultimate box office bomb. It offered Smith's first and only venture in a mainstream Hollywood leading role. By 1996, Smith's acting career had declined considerably. After the failure of her previous motion picture, Hollywood studios began to realize her public popularity did not affect her acting abilities or ticket sales at the box office. She appeared as herself in the 1995 pilot episode of The Naked Truth. Smith attempted to revitalize her film career with a leading role in Skyscraper in 1996. The low-budget, direct-to-video film offered Smith no more than "soft-core exploitation" and her movie career again stalled. In the late 1990s, Smith focused her acting career on television. She appeared on the variety series Sin City Spectacular in 1998. That same year, Smith appeared in the tell-all self-promoting film, Anna Nicole Smith: Exposed, which was based on several photo sessions during her Playboy career. She appeared as Donna, the friend of Veronica Chase played by Kirstie Alley, on the sitcom Veronica's Closet in 1999. Smith guest-starred as Myra Jacobs in a 1999 episode of the surreal series, Ally McBeal.In the early 2000s, Smith had very few acting roles. As a result of her rising popularity with tabloids and gossip columnists, Smith was given her own reality show on the E! cable network. The Anna Nicole Show premiered on August 4, 2002, achieving the highest cable rating ever issued for a reality show. Coincidentally, the day the series premiered was the seventh anniversary of the death of J. Howard Marshall. The series attempted to focus on the private life of Smith, her boyfriend/attorney Howard K. Stern, her son Daniel Wayne Smith, her assistant Kimberly "Kimmie" Walther, her miniature poodle Sugar Pie, her gay interior decorator Bobby Trendy, and her cousin from Texas, Shelly Cloud. Despite the popularity of the show amongst college students and pop culture fans, the show declined considerably in viewership at the end of its first season. It was, however, renewed for a second season, before being canceled on June 1, 2003, after two seasons and twenty-seven episodes. E! announced to the press that the series ended because of "creative differences" between the network and Smith, although she acknowledged the series ended because the network had lost interest in both her and the show. Smith returned to film acting in 2003 with the comedy film Wasabi Tuna. In the film, she played an over-the-top version of herself, whose miniature poodle Sugar Pie is stolen from her on Halloween by a team of drag queens dressed like her. Neither the film nor her performance drew positive reviews. In 2005, she briefly appeared as a spectator at a basketball game in Be Cool, starring John Travolta. In late 2005 she agreed to play Lucy in the self-produced independent parody film Illegal Aliens, alongside wrestler Joani "Chyna" Laurer. It attempted to parody several popular television shows from the 1970s and 1980s as well as several film franchises. It would be released direct-to-video on May 1, 2007, three months after her death. In November 2004, she appeared at the American Music Awards to introduce Kanye West and attracted attention because of her slurred speech and behavior. During her live appearance, she threw her arms up and exclaimed, "Like my body?” Smith murmured other comments and alluded to TrimSpa. The incident became comic material for presenters throughout the rest of the program. Her appearance was featured in the media the following day. Tabloids speculated that Smith was under the influence of pills or a controlled substance. Her representatives explained that she was in pain due to a series of grueling workouts. In March 2005, at the first MTV Australia Video Music Awards in Sydney's Luna Park, she spoofed Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction by pulling down her dress to reveal both breasts, each covered with the MTV logo. Smith was also featured in advertisements for the animal rights group PETA. Spoofing Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" segment in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a 2004 ad states "Gentlemen prefer fur-free blondes.” Personal life Marriage to J. Howard Marshall While performing in October 1991 at Gigi's (a Houston strip club later renamed as "Pleasures"), Smith met 86-year old petroleum tycoon J. Howard Marshall, a billionaire as a result of his 16% ownership stake in Koch Industries. During their two-year affair that followed, he reportedly lavished expensive gifts on her and asked her to marry him several times. She divorced her husband Billy on February 3, 1993, in Houston. On June 27, 1994, 26-year-old Smith and 89-year-old Marshall were married in Houston. This resulted in a speculation that she married him for his money. She reportedly never lived with him, never had sex with him, or kissed him on the mouth more than ten times. Smith, however, maintained that she loved her husband, and age did not matter to her. Thirteen months after his marriage to Smith, on August 4, 1995, Marshall died in Houston at age 90. Inheritance court cases Even though Smith was not in the will of J. Howard Marshall, Smith claimed that, in return for marriage, J. Howard Marshall orally promised her half of his estate, which primarily consisted of a 16% interest in Koch Industries, then worth $1.6 billion. E. Pierce Marshall, a son of J. Howard Marshall, disputed the claim. Smith temporarily joined forces with J. Howard's other son, J. Howard Marshall III, whom the elder Howard had disowned after he tried to take control of Koch Industries. Howard III also claimed that J. Howard Marshall had verbally promised him a portion of the estate; like Smith, Howard III was also left out of J. Howard's will. In 1996, Smith filed for bankruptcy in California as a result of an $850,000 default judgment against her for the sexual harassment of a nanny that cared for her son.[27] Since any money potentially due to her from the Marshall estate was part of her potential assets, the bankruptcy court involved itself in the matter. In September 2000, a Los Angeles bankruptcy judge awarded Smith $449,754,134, the amount that the value of his interest in Koch Industries rose in value during their marriage. However, in July 2001, Houston judge Mike Wood affirmed the jury findings in the probate case by ruling that Smith was entitled to nothing. The judge ordered Smith to pay over $1 million to cover the legal costs and expenses of E. Pierce Marshall. The conflict between the Texas probate court and California bankruptcy court judgments forced the matter into the Federal judiciary of the United States. In March 2002, a federal judge vacated the California bankruptcy court's ruling and issued a new ruling but reduced the award to $88 million. However, on December 30, 2004, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the March 2002 decision, on the reasoning that the federal courts lacked jurisdiction to overrule this probate court decision. In September 2005, the Supreme Court of the United States decided to hear the appeal of that decision. The George W. Bush administration subsequently directed Paul Clement, the United States Solicitor General, to intercede on Smith's behalf out of an interest to expand federal court jurisdiction over state probate disputes. On May 1, 2006, the Supreme Court announced its decision, in which it unanimously decided in favor of Smith. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion. The decision did not give Smith a portion of her husband's estate but affirmed her right to pursue a share of it in federal court. On June 20, 2006, E. Pierce Marshall died at age 67 from an infection. Following his death, his widow, Elaine Tettemer Marshall, pursued the case on behalf of his estate. The case was remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to adjudicate the remaining appellate issues not previously resolved. After Smith's death in 2007, the case continued on behalf of Smith's infant daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead. In March 2010, an appeals court upheld the verdict cutting out Smith from the estate. Following the decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, lawyers for the estate of Anna Nicole Smith requested the appeal be heard before the entire 9th circuit. However, on May 6, 2010, the appeal was denied. On September 28, 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear the case. On June 23, 2011, in the case of Stern v. Marshall, the Supreme Court issued a ruling against the estate of Anna Nicole Smith, holding that the California bankruptcy court ruling that gave her estate $475 million was decided without subject-matter jurisdiction. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that a bankruptcy court could not make a decision on an issue outside bankruptcy law. In 2011, Smith filed a motion in the United States district court to obtain $44 million in compensatory damages and to sanction the estate of E. Pierce Marshall. In August 2014, David O. Carter, a federal U.S. District Court Judge in Orange County, California, rejected these efforts. Addictions Smith was addicted to prescription medications. Psychiatrist Dr. Nathalie Maullin said she met Smith in April 2006 in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Maullin said Smith had a borderline personality disorder. After Smith's death, TMZ.com reported that Smith had been given a prescription for methadone under a false name while she was in her eighth month of pregnancy. The Medical Board of California launched a review into the matter; the prescribing doctor, Sandeep Kapoor, said his treatment was "sound and appropriate." Commitment ceremony with Stern On September 28, 2006, Smith and Howard K. Stern exchanged their vows and rings in an informal commitment ceremony aboard the 41-foot catamaran Margaritaville off the coast of the Bahamas. She wore a white dress and carried a bouquet of red roses, while he wore a black suit with white shirt. Although they pledged their love and made a commitment to be there for each other before a Baptist minister, no marriage certificate was issued and the ceremony was not legally binding. After the ceremony, they landed on the island of Sandy Cay where they had a party and celebrated with champagne and apple cider that had been brought over for the occasion by sailboat. Death and funeral On February 8, 2007, Smith was found dead in Room 607 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Tasma Brighthaupt, a friend of Smith who was a trained emergency nurse, performed CPR for 15 minutes until her husband, Maurice "Big Moe" Brighthaupt (Smith's friend and bodyguard) took over CPR. He had driven back to the hotel after being notified by his wife of Smith's condition. According to Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger, at 1:38 p.m. (EST) Maurice Brighthaupt, who was also a trained paramedic, called the hotel front desk from Smith's sixth-floor room. The front desk, in turn, called security, who then called 911. At 1:45 p.m. (EST) the bodyguard administered CPR until paramedics arrived. At 2:10 p.m. (EST), Smith was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival at 2:49 p.m. (EST) A phone call involving Seminole police and the local 911 operators was released to the public on February 13, 2007. The call said, "We need assistance to Room 607 at the Hard Rock. It's in reference to a white female. She's not breathing and not responsive...actually, it's Anna Nicole Smith.” A seven-week investigation was led by Broward County Medical Examiner and Forensic Pathologist Joshua Perper in combination with the Seminole police and several independent forensic pathologists and toxicologists. Perper announced that Smith died of "combined drug intoxication" with the sleeping medication chloral hydrate as the "major component." No illegal drugs were found in her system. The official report states that her death was not considered to be due to homicide, suicide, or natural causes. The full investigative report has been made public and can be found online. Additionally, an official copy of the autopsy report was publicly released on March 26, 2007, and can be found online. Her death was ultimately ruled an accidental drug overdose of the sedative chloral hydrate that became increasingly lethal when combined with other prescription drugs in her system, specifically four benzodiazepines: Klonopin (Clonazepam), Ativan (Lorazepam), Serax (Oxazepam), and Valium (Diazepam). Furthermore, she had taken Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) and Topamax (Topiramate), an anticonvulsant AMPA/Kainate antagonist, which likely contributed to the sedative effect of chloral hydrate and the benzodiazepines. Although the individual levels of any of the benzodiazepines in her system would not have been sufficient to cause death, their combination with a high dose of chloral hydrate led to her overdose. The autopsy report indicates that chloral hydrate was the "toxic/lethal" drug, but it is difficult to know whether chloral hydrate ingestion alone would have killed her, since Dr. Perper indicated (in the March 26 press conference) that she had built up a tolerance to the drug and took more than the average person. He indicated that she took about three tablespoons, whereas the normal dosage is between one and two teaspoons. Chloral hydrate, first synthesized in 1832, was the first depressant developed for the specific purpose of inducing sleep. The infamous "Mickey Finn" or "knockout drops" was a solution of alcohol and chloral hydrate that was popular in Victorian England and in that era's literature. When used properly, and without the introduction of alcohol or other depressants, chloral hydrate is effective in easing sleeplessness due to pain or insomnia. But according to Avis (1990), the effective dose and lethal dose of chloral hydrate are so close that the sedative should be considered dangerous. Today, the use of chloral hydrate has declined as other agents, including barbiturates and benzodiazepines, have largely replaced them. Despite rumors of methadone use due to its involvement in Smith's son's death, Dr. Perper only found methadone in her bile, indicating it could only have been ingested 2–3 days prior to her death and therefore was not a contributing factor. The autopsy report indicates that abscesses on her buttocks (presumably from prior injections of vitamin B12 in the form of cyanocobalamin, as well as human growth hormone), and viral enteritis were contributory causes of death. Tests for influenza A and B were negative. It was reported that 8 of the 11 drugs in Smith's system, including the chloral hydrate, were prescribed to Howard K. Stern, not Smith. Additionally, two of the prescriptions were written for Alex Katz and one was written for Smith's friend and psychiatrist, Dr. Khristine Elaine Eroshevich. Dr. Perper acknowledged that all 11 prescriptions were written by Dr. Eroshevich herself. Smith's funeral took place on March 2, 2007. Smith's last will and testament Smith's will was executed on July 30, 2007, in Los Angeles, California. Attorney Eric Lund prepared Smith's will. Smith named Daniel as the sole beneficiary of her estate, specifically excluded other children, and named Howard K. Stern executor of the estate. It indicated personal property valued at $10,000 and real property valued at $1.8 million (with a $1.1 million mortgage) at the time of death. A petition to probate Smith's will was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The petition to probate lists Larry Birkhead as a party with interest to Anna's estate. A six-foot-long (1.8 m) black granite monument was installed at Smith's grave in the Bahamas in February 2009. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com ]]>25:15noPODCAST EPISODE 31 - Jackie Collins - From Actress to AuthorWed, 23 May 2018 19:33:52 +0000Jacqueline Jill "Jackie" Collins born 4 October 1937, was an English romance novelist. Jackie Collins moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s and spent most of her career there. She wrote 32 novels, all of which appeared on The New York Times bestsellers list. Her books have sold over 500 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages. Eight of her novels have been adapted for the screen, either as films or television miniseries. She was the younger sister of Dame Joan Collins. Early life Collins was born in 1937, in Hampstead, London, the younger daughter of Elsa Collins (died 1962) and Joseph William Collins (died 1988), a theatrical agent whose clients later included Shirley Bassey, the Beatles, and Tom Jones. Collins' South African-born father was Jewish, and her British mother was Anglican. A middle child, Collins had an elder sister, Joan Collins (actress and author), and a younger brother, Bill (who became a property agent). Collins attended Francis Holland School, an independent day school for girls in London and was expelled at age 15. During this period, she reportedly had a brief affair with 29-year-old Marlon Brando. Early career She began appearing in acting roles in a series of British B movies in the 1950s and worked as a stage singer alongside a young Des O'Connor, among others. Her parents then sent her to Los Angeles to live with her older sister, Joan, a Hollywood actress. There, Collins tried acting in small parts in low budget British films, including Barnacle Bill (1957), Rock You Sinners (1957), The Safecracker (1958), Intent to Kill (1958), Passport to Shame (1958), and The Shakedown (1960), in which she was credited as Lynn Curtis. After minor appearances in such television series as Danger Man and The Saint, Collins gave up on pursuing an acting career, although she did play briefly on the television series Minder in 1980. She made the switch from acting onscreen to writing novels, and her first book, The World Is Full of Married Men (1968), became a best-seller. Four decades later, she admitted she was a "school dropout" and "juvenile delinquent" when she was 15: "I'm glad I got all of that out of my system at an early age," she said, adding that she "never pretended to be a literary writer.” Writing career 1960s Collins had begun many works of fiction but abandoned them, and only completed her first novel after being persuaded to do so by her second husband Oscar Lerman. "You’re a storyteller", he told her.[3] After its publication, romantic novelist Barbara Cartland called the book "nasty, filthy and disgusting",[21] and charged Collins with "creating every pervert in Britain".[11] The book was banned in Australia and South Africa,[5] but the scandal bolstered sales in the United States and the UK. Her second novel, The Stud, was published in 1969. It also made the best-seller lists. 1970s Collins' third novel, Sunday Simmons & Charlie Brick (first published under the title The Hollywood Zoo in the UK and then retitled Sinners worldwide in 1984) was published in 1971 and again made the best-seller lists. This was Collins' first novel to be set in the United States. Lovehead followed in 1974 (retitled as The Love Killers in 1989). This novel was Collins' first foray into the world of organized crime, a genre that would later prove to be extremely successful for her. Following this, Collins published The World Is Full of Divorced Women (unrelated to her first novel) in 1975, and then Lovers & Gamblers in 1977, which told the story of rock/soul superstar Al King. [caption id="attachment_1167" align="alignleft" width="268"] Jackie Collins in 2011 By Cyotethndr [GFDL (gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons[/caption]In the late 1970s, Collins made a foray into writing for the screen. She co-wrote the screenplay for The Stud (1978), based on her second book; the film starred her older sister Joan as the gold-digging adulteress Fontaine Khaled. Following this, Collins wrote the screenplay for The World Is Full of Married Men (1980), the film adaptation of her first novel. She also released her seventh novel, The Bitch (1979), a sequel to The Stud; The Bitch was also made into a successful 1979 film, with Joan Collins reprising the role. Around the same time, Collins wrote an original screenplay (not based on any of her novels) for the film Yesterday's Hero (1979). Personal life Collins held dual citizenship: British (by birth) and the U.S. (by naturalization, from 6 May 1960). She married her first husband, Wallace Austin, in 1960; they divorced in 1964. Austin's addiction to drugs prescribed for manic depression ultimately caused their separation, and he died from a deliberate overdose the year after their marriage ended. The couple had one daughter, Tracy, born in 1961. In 1965, Collins married again, this time to art gallery and nightclub (Ad-Lib and Tramp) owner, Oscar Lerman. The wedding took place in the home of her sister Joan and her husband at the time, Anthony Newley. Collins and Lerman had two daughters, Tiffany (born 1967) and Rory (born 1969). Lerman also formally adopted Collins' daughter, Tracy, from her previous marriage. Lerman died in 1992 from prostate cancer. In 1994, Collins became engaged to Los Angeles business executive Frank Calcagnini, who died in 1998 from a brain tumor. She said that what got her through the tragedies of losing two loved ones was "celebrating their lives, as opposed to dwelling on their deaths.” In 2011, when asked if she were dating anyone, Collins said:

"I have a man for every occasion”, adding: "When I was a kid growing up, I used to read my father's Playboy and I'd see these guys and they had fantastic apartments and cars. I have all of that now. Why would I want to hook myself up with one man when I've had two fantastic men in my life? One was my husband for over 20 years and one was my fiancé for six [sic] years".

Throughout Collins' career, she fictionalized aspects of her personal life as a source for her novels. She said she loved Los Angeles and recalled that while growing up in England, she often read novels by Harold Robbins, Mickey Spillane, and Raymond Chandler. Vanity Fair writer Dominick Dunne explains that Collins "loved the picture business, the television business, the record business, and the people in them, the stars, celebrities, directors, and producers." And although she was a "great partygoer", he says, she went "more as an observer than a participant", using them as part of her "research." "Write about what you know", Collins said at a writer's conference. "I love what I do. I fall in love with my characters. They become me, and I become them.” Death Collins died on 19 September 2015, of breast cancer, two weeks before her 78th birthday. She had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer more than six years before her death but kept her illness almost entirely to herself. She reportedly only informed her sister Joan Collins two weeks before she died and flew from Los Angeles to London to appear on the ITV chat show Loose Women only nine days before her death. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/celebrityarchaeology]]>11:20noPODCAST EPISODE 30 - The Life and Tortured Death of Robin WilliamsWed, 23 May 2018 02:32:11 +0000Robin McLaurin Williams, born July 21, 1951 – was an American actor and comedian. Chicago-born, Williams started as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. He is credited with leading San Francisco's comedy renaissance. After rising to fame as an alien called Mork in the TV sci-fi sitcom series Mork & Mindy, Williams established a career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting. He was known for his improvisational skills. After his first starring film role in Popeye (1980), Williams starred or co-starred in various films that achieved both critical acclaim and financial success, including Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Aladdin (1992), The Birdcage (1996), and Good Will Hunting (1997). He also starred in widely acclaimed films such as The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), One Hour Photo (2002), and World's Greatest Dad (2009), as well as box office, hits such as Hook (1991), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), and Night at the Museum (2006). Williams won the 1997 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as psychologist Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. He also received two Emmy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Grammy Awards throughout his career. Early years Williams was born at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago, Illinois on July 21, 1951. His father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams, was a senior executive in Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division. His mother, Laurie McLaurin, was a former model from Jackson, Mississippi. Her great-grandfather was Mississippi senator and governor Anselm J. McLaurin.Williams had two elder half-brothers named Robert (also known as Todd) and McLaurin. He had English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German, and French ancestry. While his mother was a practitioner of Christian Science, Williams was raised in the Episcopal Church, to which his father belonged. Williams wrote a list: "Top Ten Reasons to be an Episcopalian.” During a television interview on Inside the Actors Studio in 2001, Williams credited his mother as being an important early influence for his sense of humor. He also said that he tried to make her laugh to gain attention. Stand-up comedy Williams performed stand-up comedy at a USO show on December 20, 2007. After his family moved to Marin County, Williams began his career doing stand-up comedy shows in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1970s. His first performance took place at the Holy City Zoo, a comedy club in San Francisco, where he worked his way up from tending bar to getting on stage. In the 1960s, San Francisco was a center for a rock music renaissance, hippies, drugs, and a sexual revolution, and in the 1970s, Williams helped lead its "comedy renaissance," writes critic Gerald Nachman. Williams says he found out about "drugs and happiness" during that period, adding that he saw "the best brains of my time turned to mud." He moved to Los Angeles and continued doing stand-up shows at various clubs, including the Comedy Club, in 1977, where TV producer George Schlatter saw him. Schlatter, realizing that Williams would become an important force in show business, asked him to appear on a revival of his Laugh-In show. The show aired in late 1977 and became his debut TV appearance. Williams also performed a show at the LA Improv that same year for Home Box Office.While the Laugh-In revival failed, it led Williams into a career in television, during which period he continued doing stand-up at comedy clubs, such as the Roxy, to help him keep his improvisational skills sharp. Live on Broadway (2002), broke many long-held records for a comedy show. In some cases, tickets were sold out within thirty minutes of going on sale. In 1986, Williams released A Night at the Met. After a six-year break, in August 2008, Williams announced a new 26-city tour titled "Weapons of Self-Destruction". He said that this was his last chance to make jokes at the expense of the Bush administration, but by the time the show was staged, only a few minutes covered that subject. The tour started at the end of September 2009 and concluded in New York on December 3, and was the subject of an HBO special on December 8, 2009. Hardships in performing stand-up Williams said that partly due to the stress of performing stand-up he started using drugs and alcohol early in his career. He further said that he never drank or took drugs while on stage but occasionally performed when hungover from the previous day. During the period he was using cocaine, he said that it made him paranoid when performing on stage. Williams once described the life of stand-up comedians: "It's a brutal field, man. They burn out. It takes its toll. Plus, the lifestyle—partying, drinking, drugs. If you're on the road, it's even more brutal. You gotta come back down to mellow your ass out, and then performing takes you back up. They flame out because it comes and goes. Suddenly they're hot, and then somebody else is hot. Sometimes they get very bitter. Sometimes they just give up. Sometimes they have a revival thing and they come back again. Sometimes they snap. The pressure kicks in. You become obsessed and then you lose that focus that you need". Some, such as the critic Vincent Canby, was concerned that his monologues were so intense that it seemed as though at any minute his "creative process could reverse into a complete meltdown". His biographer Emily Herbert described his "intense, utterly manic style of stand-up [which sometimes] defies analysis ... [going] beyond energetic, beyond frenetic .. [and sometimes] dangerous ... because of what it said about the creator's own mental state.” In March 2009, he was hospitalized due to heart problems. He postponed his one-man tour for surgery to replace his aortic valve. The surgery was completed on March 13, 2009, at the Cleveland Clinic. In mid–2014, Williams admitted himself into the Hazelden Foundation Addiction Treatment Center in Lindstrom, Minnesota for treatment for alcoholism. His publicist Mara Buxbaum commented that he was suffering from severe depression prior to his death. His wife Susan Schneider stated that in the period before his death, Williams had been sober, but was diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson's disease, which was information he was "not yet ready to share publicly." An autopsy revealed that Williams had diffuse Lewy body dementia, which had been diagnosed as Parkinson's. This may have contributed to his depression. In an essay published in the journal Neurology two years after his death, Susan Schneider revealed that the pathology of Lewy body disease in Williams was described by several doctors as among the worst pathologies they had seen. She described the early symptoms of his disease as beginning in October 2013. It included a sudden and prolonged spike in fear and anxiety, constipation, urinary difficulty, heartburn, sleeplessness and insomnia, a poor sense of smell, stress, and a slight tremor in his left hand. Eventually, she said, he suffered from paranoia, delusions, severe insomnia, memory loss, and high cortisol levels, indicating stress. According to Schneider, "Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it ... He kept saying, 'I just want to reboot my brain.’ On August 11, 2014, Williams died by suicide at his home in Paradise Cay, California.[4] In the initial report released on August 12, the Marin County Sheriff's Office deputy coroner stated Williams had hanged himself with a belt and died from asphyxiation. His body was cremated at Montes Chapel of the Hills in San Anselmo and his ashes were scattered in San Francisco Bay on August 21. The final autopsy report, released in November 2014, affirmed that Williams had committed suicide as initially described; neither alcohol nor illegal drugs were involved, while all prescription drugs present in his body were at "therapeutic" levels. The report also noted that Williams had been suffering "a recent increase in paranoia". An examination of his brain tissue revealed the presence of "diffuse Lewy body dementia." Describing the disease as "the terrorist inside my husband's brain", his wife Susan Schneider stated, "however you look at it—the presence of Lewy bodies took his life," referring to his previous diagnosis of Parkinson's. The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) clarified the distinction between the term used in the autopsy report, diffuse Lewy body dementia—which is more commonly called diffuse Lewy body disease and refers to the underlying disease process—and the umbrella term, Lewy body dementia—which encompasses both Parkinson's disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). According to Dennis Dickson, the LBDA spokesperson, "The report confirms he experienced depression, anxiety and paranoia, which may occur in either Parkinson's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies", adding that, in Parkinson's, "Lewy bodies are generally limited in distribution, but in DLB, the Lewy bodies are spread widely throughout the brain, as was the case with Robin Williams." Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/celebrityarchaeology]]>15:06noPODCAST EPISODE 29 - An Actor's Tales of Life in HollywoodTue, 22 May 2018 03:29:41 +0000﻿ Ben Bryant (pictured with the late Jerry Orbach) has been in show business since college. Until 1972 he was a successful actor and singer in theatre, film and TV. In '70 he joined the award winning Group One Productions of Hollywood where he quickly developed production skills on a multitude of projects ranging from two-man second-unit shoots to Carole King's 1974 Central Park concert (12 cameras and a union crew of over 100.) Until the early ‘90s, based in New York, he worked in film and TV as a producer and first Assistant Director – in more than half the fifty states – on over 1,000 commercials and dozens of corporate films for clients including ABC-TV, AT&T, Exxon, Ford, GM, IBM, MacDonald’s, Miller Beer, Porsche-Audi, Proctor & Gamble, and Volkswagen. Ben also worked as production manager or first AD on five theatrical and TV movies. In '89, he began producing and directing a TV show, Love is the Power. Since then he has produced and directed approximately 70 multi-camera TV shows and over 50 live concerts and documentaries. Ben takes many projects from concept through completion; often writing, producing, directing, shooting and editing. [caption id="attachment_1104" align="alignright" width="269"] Paul Newman and Ben Bryant[/caption] Ben recently completed a three-volume memoir. Click here learn more about Ben's books. Other Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The website: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com]]>15:52noPODCAST EPISODE 28 - Sean Penn and Madonna - Power Couple of the 1990'sMon, 21 May 2018 01:21:01 +0000Our episode cover of Sean Penn and Madonna are pictured in 1990. Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor, filmmaker, and political activist. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama Mystic River (2003) and the biopic Milk (2008). Penn began his acting career in television with a brief appearance in episode 112 of Little House on the Prairie (December 4, 1974), directed by his father Leo Penn. Following his film debut in the drama Taps (1981) and a diverse range of film roles in the 1980s, including Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Penn garnered critical attention for his roles in the crime dramas At Close Range (1986), State of Grace (1990), and Carlito's Way (1993). He became known as a prominent leading actor with the drama Dead Man Walking (1995), for which he earned his first Academy Award nomination and the Best Actor Award at the Berlin Film Festival. Penn received another two Oscar nominations for Woody Allen's comedy-drama Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and the drama I Am Sam (2001), before winning his first Academy Award for Best Actor in 2003 for Mystic River and a second one in 2008 for Milk. He has also won a Best Actor Award of the Cannes Film Festival for the Nick Cassavetes-directed She's So Lovely (1997), and two Best Actor Awards at the Venice Film Festival for the indie film Hurlyburly (1998) and the drama 21 Grams (2003). Penn made his feature film directorial debut with The Indian Runner (1991), followed by the drama film The Crossing Guard (1995) and the mystery film The Pledge (2001). Penn directed one of the 11 segments of 11'09'01 September 11 (2002), a compilation film made in response to the September 11 attacks. His fourth feature film, the biographical drama survival movie Into the Wild (2007), garnered critical acclaim and two Academy Award nominations. Penn was born in Santa Monica, California to actor and director Leo Penn, and actress Eileen Ryan. His older brother is musician Michael Penn. His younger brother, actor Chris Penn, died in 2006. His paternal grandparents were Ashkenazi Jewish emigrants from Lithuania and Russia, while his mother is a Catholic of Irish and Italian descent. Penn was raised in a secular home and attended Santa Monica High School. He began making short films with some of his childhood friends, including actors Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, who lived near his home. Penn was engaged to actress Elizabeth McGovern, his co-star in Racing with the Moon (1984). He met pop singer Madonna in February 1985, and they married that August on her birthday. The two starred in the panned and much-derided Shanghai Surprise (1986), directed by Jim Goddard, and Madonna dedicated her third studio album True Blue (1986) to Penn, referring to him in the liner notes as "the coolest guy in the universe". The relationship was marred by violent outbursts against the press, including one incident when Penn was arrested for assaulting a photographer on a film set; Penn was sentenced to 60 days in jail in mid-1987, of which he served 33 days. Madonna filed for divorce in December 1987 but later withdrew the papers, only to file them again in January 1989. Madonna reportedly filed an assault complaint that she was beaten in her Malibu, California home by her estranged husband, but in January 1989, the Associated Press reported that she had "dropped assault charges." Penn was alleged to have struck Madonna on multiple occasions, but in 2015 Madonna stated the allegations were "completely outrageous, malicious, reckless, and false”. At the end of his first marriage, Penn moved in with actress Robin Wright, and their first child, a daughter named Dylan Frances, was born April 13, 1991. Their second child, son Hopper Jack, was born August 6, 1993. Penn and Wright separated in 1995, during which time he developed a relationship with Jewel, after he spotted her performing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He invited her to compose a song for his film The Crossing Guard (1995) and followed her on tour. Penn and Wright reconciled, married on April 27, 1996, and lived in Ross, California. The couple filed for divorce in December 2007 but reconciled several months later, requesting a court dismissal of their divorce case. In April 2009, Penn filed for legal separation, only to withdraw the case once again when the couple reconciled in May. On August 12, 2009, Wright Penn filed for divorce again. The couple's divorce was finalized on July 22, 2010; the couple reached a private agreement on child and spousal support, division of assets, and custody of Hopper, who was almost 17 at the time. In December 2013, Penn began dating actress Charlize Theron. The two announced their engagement in December 2014. Theron ended their relationship in June 2015. Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone born August 16, 1958, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop" since the 1980s, Madonna is known for pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music, as well as visual imagery in music videos and on stage. She has also frequently reinvented both her music and image while maintaining autonomy within the recording industry. Besides sparking controversy, her works have been praised by music critics. Madonna is often cited as an influence by other artists. Born and raised in Michigan, Madonna moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing as a drummer, guitarist and vocalist in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, Madonna signed with Sire Records in 1982 and released her eponymous debut album the next year. She followed it with a series of successful albums, including the global bestsellers, Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986), as well as the Grammy Award winners, Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). Throughout her career, Madonna has written and produced most of her songs, with many of them reaching number one on the record charts, including "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Take a Bow", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes". Madonna's popularity was further enhanced by her roles in films such as Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996). While the latter earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, many of her other films received poor reviews. As a businesswoman, Madonna founded her own entertainment company Maverick, including the label Maverick Records, in 1992. Her other ventures include fashion design, writing children's books, opening of health clubs, and filmmaking. She has contributed to various charities and founded the Raising Malawi organization in 2006. Having sold more than 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is recognized as the best-selling female recording artist of all time by Guinness World Records. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed her as the second highest-certified female artist in the U.S., with 64.5 million album units. According to Billboard, Madonna is the most successful solo act on its Hot 100 singles chart and second overall behind the Beatles. She is also the highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time, earning U.S. $1.4 billion from her concert tickets. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility, Madonna topped VH1's countdown of 100 Greatest Women in Music. Additionally, Rolling Stone listed her among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. Early life and career beginnings Madonna was born to Catholic parents, Madonna Louise Fortin and Tony Ciccone, in Bay City, Michigan, on August 16, 1958. Her father's parents were emigrants from Pacentro, Italy, while her mother was of French-Canadian ancestry. Tony worked as an engineer designer for Chrysler and General Motors. She has two elder brothers, Anthony and Martin, and three younger siblings, Paula, Christopher, and Melanie. Months before her mother died of breast cancer at age 30 on December 1, 1963, Madonna noticed changes in her behavior and personality, although she did not understand the reason. Her mother was at a loss to explain her medical condition, and often began to cry when Madonna questioned her about it. Madonna later acknowledged that she had not grasped the concept of her mother dying. Madonna later told Vanity Fair that she saw herself in her youth as a "lonely girl who was searching for something. I wasn't rebellious in a certain way. I cared about being good at something. I didn't shave my underarms and I didn't wear make-up like normal girls do. But I studied and I got good grades. I wanted to be somebody." She attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Catholic Elementary Schools, and West Middle School. Madonna was known for her high grade point average, and achieved notoriety for her unconventional behavior. She would perform cartwheels and handstands in the hallways between classes, dangle by her knees from the monkey bars during recess, and pull up her skirt during class—all so that the boys could see her underwear. Madonna later attended Rochester Adams High School where she became a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. After graduating, she received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and attended the American Dance Festival over the summer. She convinced her father to allow her to take ballet lessons and was persuaded by Christopher Flynn, her ballet teacher, to pursue a career in dance. In 1978, she dropped out of college and relocated to New York City. She had little money and worked as a waitress at Dunkin' Donuts and with modern dance troupes, taking classes at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and eventually performing with Pear Lang Dance Theater. Madonna said of her move to New York, "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done." She started to work as a backup dancer for other established artists. Madonna claimed that during a late night she was returning from a rehearsal, when a pair of men held her at knifepoint and forced her to perform fellatio. Madonna later commented that "the episode was a taste of my weakness, it showed me that I still could not save myself in spite of all the strong-girl show. I could never forget it." In 1980 or 1981 she left Breakfast Club and, with her former boyfriend Stephen Bray as drummer, formed the band Emmy. The two began writing songs together, but Madonna later decided to market herself as a solo act. Her music impressed DJ and record producer Mark Kamins who arranged a meeting between Madonna and Sire Records founder Seymour Stein. In 1992, Madonna starred in A League of Their Own as Mae Mordabito, a baseball player on an all-women's team. It reached number one on the box-office and became the tenth highest-grossing film of the year in the U.S. She recorded the film's theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground", which became her tenth Hot 100 number-one hit, the most by any female artist at the time. The same year, she founded her own entertainment company, Maverick, consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and associated music publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing and merchandising divisions. The deal was a joint venture with Time Warner and paid Madonna an advance of $60 million. It gave her 20% royalties from the music proceedings, the highest rate in the industry at the time, equaled only by Michael Jackson's royalty rate established a year earlier with Sony. Madonna embarked on The Girlie Show World Tour, in which she dressed as a whip-cracking dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers. In Puerto Rico she rubbed the island's flag between her legs on stage, resulting in outrage among the audience. In March 1994, she appeared as a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman, using profanity that required censorship on television, and handing Letterman a pair of her panties and asking him to smell it. The releases of her sexually explicit book, album and film, and the aggressive appearance on Letterman all made critics question Madonna as a sexual renegade. Critics and fans reacted negatively, who commented that "she had gone too far" and that her career was over. She later became romantically involved with fitness trainer Carlos Leon. On October 14, 1996, she gave birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, her daughter with Leon. 2018 In January 2018, Madonna announced on Instagram that she had started working on her 14th studio album. Four months later, she appeared at the 2018 Met Gala and performed a new song called "Beautiful Game", along with "Like a Prayer" and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Various music journalists, critical theorists, and authors have deemed Madonna the most influential female recording artist of all time. The Guinness World Records acknowledged her as the best-selling female recording artist and the fourth best-selling act of all time, behind The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson. Madonna remains the highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time. Madonna holds the record for the most number-ones on all combined Billboard charts, including twelve number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and eight number-one albums on the Billboard 200. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The site: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com]]>21:24noPODCAST EPISODE 27 - Buddy Hackett and Ernest BorgnineSun, 20 May 2018 03:43:46 +0000Buddy Hackett was an American comedian and actor. His best remembered roles include Marcellus Washburn in The Music Man (1962), Benjy Benjamin in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Tennessee Steinmetz in The Love Bug (1968), and Scuttle in The Little Mermaid (1989). Hackett was born in Brooklyn, New York to Anna and Philip Hacker, an upholsterer and part-time inventor. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn, across from Public School 103. He graduated from New Utrecht High School in 1942.While still a student, he began performing in nightclubs in the Catskills Borscht Belt resorts as "Butch Hacker". He appeared first at the Golden Hotel in Hurleyville, New York, and he claimed he did not get one single laugh. He enlisted in the United States Army during World War II and served for three years in an anti-aircraft battery.Hackett's first job after the war was at the Pink Elephant, a Brooklyn club. It was here that he changed his name from Leonard Hacker to Buddy Hackett. He made appearances in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and continued to perform in the Catskills. He acted on Broadway, in Lunatics and Lovers, where Max Liebman saw him and put him in two television specials.Hackett's movie career began in 1950 with a 10-minute "World of Sports" reel for Columbia Pictures called King of the Pins. The film demonstrated championship bowling techniques, with expert Joe Wilman demonstrating the right way and Hackett (in pantomime) exemplifying the wrong way. Hackett would not return to movies until 1953, after one of his nightclub routines attracted attention. With a rubber band around his head to slant his eyes, Hackett's "The Chinese Waiter" lampooned the heavy dialect, frustration, and communication problems encountered by a busy waiter in a Chinese restaurant: "No, we no have sprit-pea soup ... We gotta wonton, we got eh-roll ... No orda for her, juss orda for you!" The routine was such a hit that Hackett made a recording of it, and was hired to reprise it in the Universal-International musical Walking My Baby Back Home (1953), in which he was third-billed under Donald O'Connor and Janet Leigh.Hackett was an emergency replacement for the similarly built Lou Costello in 1954. Abbott and Costello were set to make a feature-length comedy Fireman, Save My Child, featuring Spike Jones and His City Slickers. Several scenes had been shot with stunt doubles when Lou Costello was forced to withdraw due to illness. Universal-International salvaged the project by hiring Hugh O'Brian and Hackett to take over the Abbott and Costello roles, using already shot footage of the comedy duo in some long shots; Jones and his band became the main attraction. [caption id="attachment_1069" align="alignright" width="226"] Buddy Hackett in Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)[/caption] Hackett became known to a wider audience when he appeared on television in the 1950s and '60s as a frequent guest on variety talk shows hosted by Jack Paar and Arthur Godfrey, telling brash, often off-color jokes, and mugging at the camera. Hackett was a frequent guest on both the Jack Paar and the Johnny Carson versions of The Tonight Show. According to the board game Trivial Pursuit, Hackett has the distinction of making the most guest appearances in the history of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. During this time, he also appeared as a panelist and mystery guest on CBS-TV's What's My Line? and filled in as emcee for the game show Treasure Hunt. He made fifteen guest appearances on NBC-TV's The Perry Como Show between 1955 and 1961. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World "Smiler" Grogan (Jimmy Durante), an ex-convict wanted by police in a tuna factory robbery fifteen years ago and currently on the run, careens his car off twisting, mountainous State Highway 74 near Palm Desert, California and crashes. Five motorists stop to help him: Melville Crump (Sid Caesar), a dentist; Lennie Pike (Jonathan Winters), a furniture mover; Dingy Bell (Mickey Rooney) and Benjy Benjamin (Buddy Hackett), two friends on their way to Las Vegas; and J. Russell Finch (Milton Berle), an entrepreneur who owns the Pacific Edible Seaweed Company in Fresno. Just before he dies (literally kicking a bucket), Grogan tells the five men about $350,000 buried in Santa Rosita State Park near the Mexican border under "… a big W". Everyone experiences multiple setbacks on their way to find the money. In the role of a lifetime, Benjamin (Hackett-above far right) charters a modern plane at an aviation club with MIckey Rooney, but when their wealthy alcoholic pilot (Jim Backus) knocks himself out drunk, Rooney and Hackett are forced to fly and land the plane themselves. Buddy Hackett's penchant for lampooning is over the top in the scene of Rooney and Hackett trying to fly a twin engine private plane. Hackett died on June 30, 2003, at his beach house in Malibu, California, at the age of 78. His son, comedian Sandy Hackett, said his father had been suffering from diabetes for several years and suffered a stroke nearly a week before his death which may have contributed to his demise. Two days later, on July 2, 2003, he was cremated and his ashes were given to family and friends.Ernest BorgnineErnest Borgnine born Ermes Effron Borgnino was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but calm voice, Machiavellian eyebrows, and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular performer, he had also appeared as a guest on numerous talk shows and as a panelist on several game shows.Borgnine's film career began in 1951, and included supporting roles in China Corsair (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), Vera Cruz (1954), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) and The Wild Bunch (1969). He also played the unconventional lead in many films, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for Marty (1955). He achieved continuing success in the sitcom McHale's Navy (1962–1966), in which he played the title character, and co-starred as Dominic Santini in the action series Airwolf (1984–1986), in addition to a wide variety of other roles.Borgnine earned his third Primetime Emmy Award nomination at age 92 for his work on the 2009 series finale of ER. He was known as the voice of Mermaid Man on SpongeBob SquarePants from 1999 until his death in 2012. He had earlier replaced the late Vic Tayback as the voice of the villainous Carface in both All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996) and All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series (1996–1998).Early lifeBorgnine was born on January 24, 1917, in Hamden, Connecticut, the son of Italian immigrants. Borgnine's parents separated when he was two years old, and he then lived with his mother in Italy for about four and a half years. By 1923, his parents had reconciled, the family name was changed from Borgnino to Borgnine, and his father changed his first name to Charles. Borgnine had a younger sister, Evelyn Borgnine Velardi (1925–2013). The family settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where Borgnine graduated from James Hillhouse High School. He took to sports while growing up, but showed no interest in acting.He studied acting at the Randall School of Drama in Hartford, then moved to Virginia, where he became a member of the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia.[18] It had been named for the director's allowing audiences to barter produce for admission during the cash-lean years of the Great Depression. In 1947, Borgnine landed his first stage role in State of the Union. Although it was a short role, he won over the audience. His next role was as the Gentleman Caller in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie.In 1949, Borgnine went to New York, where he had his Broadway debut in the role of a nurse in the play Harvey. More roles on stage led him to being cast for decades as a character actor.McHale's NavyBorgnine as Lieutenant Commander McHale in McHale's Navy in 1963In 1962, Borgnine signed a contract with Universal Studios for the lead role as the gruff but lovable skipper, Quinton McHale, in what began as a serious one-hour 1962 episode called Seven Against the Sea for Alcoa Premiere, and later reworked to a comedy called McHale's Navy, a World War II sitcom, which also co-starred unfamiliar comedians Joe Flynn as Capt. Wally Binghamton and Tim Conway as Ens. Charles Parker. The insubordinate crew of PT-73 helped the show become an overnight success during its first season, landing in the Top 30 in 1963.Like the McHale character, Borgnine was a longtime navy man in real life. He thrived on the adulation from fans for their favorite navy man, and in 1963 received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. At the end of the fourth season, in 1966 low ratings and repetitive storylines brought McHale's Navy to an end.Tim Conway said about the sitcom: "You know, we were all guys, it was about the war, and about men, so, there weren't many women working on the show, so we can spit, talk, swear, and everything—smoke? Gosh. So, it was male oriented." Conway once referred to Borgnine making new friends off of the Universal set, "It was the beginning of the trams, going through Universal. Ernie was probably one of the few people at Universal, who would stop the trams and say, 'Hello, how are you?' He would talk to everybody at the tram." While the show McHale's Navy was going strong, Tim had also said of Borgnine's short-lived marriage to Ethel Merman, "Ernie is volatile. I mean, there's no question about that; and Ethel was a very strong lady. So, you put 2 bombs in a room, something is going to explode, and I guess it probably did." He also said about the cancellation of McHale's Navy was, "We had gone from the South Pacific to Italy, and then, once in a while, we got to New York or something. The storylines were beginning to duplicate themselves. So, they actually said, 'Maybe, they had its run!'". Conway kept in touch with Borgnine for more than 40 years, while living not too far from one another. In 1999, the duo reunited to guest-voice in several episodes of the popular 2000s animated comedy, SpongeBob SquarePants. Katy Jurado's death in 2002 drew Borgnine and Conway much closer, as Tim had heard so much of the actress's death. He said he heard his resisting friend once referred to one of his ex-wives, "Beautiful, but a tiger." After Conway lost his TV captain, he later said, if Borgnine was more than likely to have died an Italian count, had it not been for Mussolini, "I can't envision him as a count," Tim had also said about McHale's Navy debuted, a half a century ago, boosting both ABC and the Navy fortunes: "But maybe as a king---certainly not a count." The last thing he said about his acting mentor's long career: "There were no limits to Ernie," said Conway, "When you look at his career---Fatso Judson to Marty, that's about as varied as you get in characters and he handled both of them with equal delicacy and got the most out of those characters.Borgnine died of kidney failure on July 8, 2012 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, with his family at his side. He was 95 years old. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The Podcast on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/celebrity-archaeology-podcast The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The site: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com]]>30:11noPODCAST EPISODE 26 - Rex HarrisonSat, 19 May 2018 15:13:34 +0000Sir Reginald Carey Harrison, known as Rex Harrison, was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, reaching the rank of flight lieutenant. He won his first Tony Award for his performance as Henry VIII in the play Anne of the Thousand Days in 1949. He won his second Tony for the role of Professor Henry Higgins in the stage production of My Fair Lady in 1957. He reprised the role for the 1964 film version, which earned him both a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Actor. In addition to his stage career, Harrison also appeared in numerous films, including Anna and the King of Siam (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Cleopatra (1963), and played the title role of the English doctor who talks to animals, Doctor Dolittle (1967). In July 1989, Harrison was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1975, Harrison released his first autobiography. His second, A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy, was published posthumously in 1991. Harrison was married six times and had two sons: Noel and Carey Harrison. He continued working in stage productions until shortly before his death from pancreatic cancer in June 1990 at the age of 82. Early years Harrison was born at Derry House in Huyton, Lancashire, the son of Edith Mary and William Reginald Harrison, a cotton broker. He was educated at Liverpool College. After a bout of childhood measles, Harrison lost most of the sight in his left eye, which on one occasion caused some on-stage difficulty. He first appeared on the stage in 1924 in Liverpool. Harrison's acting career was interrupted during World War II while serving in the Royal Air Force, reaching the rank of Flight Lieutenant. He acted in various stage productions until 11 May 1990. He acted in the West End of London when he was young, appearing in the Terence Rattigan play French Without Tears, which proved to be his breakthrough role. He alternated appearances in London and New York in such plays as Bell, Book and Candle (1950), Venus Observed, The Cocktail Party, The Kingfisher and The Love of Four Colonels, which he also directed. He won his first Tony Award for his appearance at the Shubert Theatre as Henry VIII in Maxwell Anderson's play Anne of a Thousand Days and international superstardom (and a second Tony) for his portrayal of Henry Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady, where he appeared opposite Julie Andrews. Harrison was not by any objective standards a singer (his talking on pitch style he used in My Fair Lady would be adopted by many other classically trained actors with limited vocal ranges); the music was usually written to allow for long periods of recitative, or "speaking to the music". Nevertheless, "Talk to the Animals", which Harrison performed in Doctor Dolittle, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1967. Later appearances included Pirandello's Henry IV, a 1984 appearance at the Haymarket Theatre with Claudette Colbert in Frederick Lonsdale's Aren't We All?, and one on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre presented by Douglas Urbanski, at the Haymarket in J. M. Barrie's The Admirable Crichton with Edward Fox. He returned as Henry Higgins in the revival of My Fair Lady directed by Patrick Garland in 1981, cementing his association with the plays of George Bernard Shaw, which included a Tony nominated performance as Shotover in Heartbreak House, Julius Caesar in Caesar and Cleopatra, and General Burgoyne in a Los Angeles production of The Devil's Disciple. Personal life Harrison was married six times. In 1942, he divorced his first wife, Colette Thomas, and married actress Lilli Palmer the next year; they later appeared together in numerous plays and films, including The Four Poster. In 1947, while married to Palmer, Harrison began an affair with actress Carole Landis. Landis committed suicide in 1948 after spending the evening with Harrison. Harrison's involvement in the scandal by waiting several hours before calling a doctor and police briefly damaged his career and his contract with Fox was ended by mutual consent. Harrison and Palmer divorced in 1957. In 1957, Harrison married the actress Kay Kendall. Kendall died of myeloid leukaemia in 1959. Terence Rattigan's 1973 play In Praise of Love was written about the end of this marriage, and Harrison appeared in the New York production playing the character based on himself. Rattigan was said to be "intensely disappointed and frustrated" by Harrison's performance, as "Harrison refused to play the outwardly boorish parts of the character and instead played him as charming throughout, signalling to the audience from the start that he knew the truth about [the] illness." Critics however were quite pleased with the performance and although it did not have a long run, it was yet another of Harrison's well-plotted naturalistic performances. He was subsequently married to Welsh-born actress Rachel Roberts from 1962 to 1971. In 1980, despite his having married twice since their divorce, Roberts made a final attempt to win Harrison back, which proved to be futile; she committed suicide that same year. Harrison then married Elizabeth Rees-Williams, divorcing in 1975, and finally in 1978, Mercia Tinker, who would become his sixth and final wife. Harrison's eldest son Noel Harrison became an olympic skier, singer and occasional actor; he toured in several productions including My Fair Lady in his father's award-winning role. Noel died suddenly of a heart attack on 19 October 2013 at age 79. Rex's younger son Carey Harrison is a playwright and social activist. Having retired from films after A Time to Die, Harrison continued to act on Broadway and the West End until the end of his life, despite suffering from glaucoma, painful teeth, and a failing memory. He was nominated for a third Tony Award in 1984 for his performance as Captain Shotover in the revival of George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House. He followed with two successful pairings with Claudette Colbert, The Kingfisher in 1985 and Aren't We All? in 1986. In 1989, he appeared with Edward Fox in The Admirable Crichton in London. In 1989/90, he appeared on Broadway in The Circle by W. Somerset Maugham, opposite Glynis Johns, Stewart Granger, and Roma Downey.[ The production opened at Duke University for a three-week run followed by performances in Baltimore and Boston before opening 14 November 1989 on Broadway. Harrison died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Manhattan on 2 June 1990 at the age of 82. He had only been diagnosed with the disease a short time before. The stage production in which he was appearing at the time, The Circle, came to an end upon his death.[ He was cremated and some of his ashes were scattered in Portofino and the rest were scattered at his second wife Lilli Palmer's grave at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, in the Commemoration section, Map 1, Lot 4066, Space 2. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ The Podcast on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/celebrity-archaeology-podcast The podcast on Google Play: http://celebrityarchaeologypodcast.com/gpm The site: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com]]>25:42noPODCAST EPISODE 25-Cary Grant and Dean MartinSat, 19 May 2018 02:26:29 +0000 Two powerhouses of their time. Cary Grant & Dean Martin. Cary Grant (born January 18, 1904 as Archibald Alec Leach) was an English-American actor, known as one of classic Hollywood's definitive leading men. He began a career in Hollywood in the early 1930s, and became known for his transatlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He became an American citizen in 1942. Born in Horfield, Bristol, Grant became attracted to theatre at a young age, and began performing with a troupe known as "The Penders" from the age of six. After attending Bishop Road Primary School and Fairfield Grammar School in Bristol, he toured the country as a stage performer, and decided to stay in New York City after a performance there. He established a name for himself in vaudevillein the 1920s and toured the United States before moving to Hollywood in the early 1930s. He initially appeared in crime films or dramas such asÂ Blonde Venus(1932) and She Done Him Wrong(1933), but later gained renown for his appearances in romantic comedy and screwball comedy films such as The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), His Girl Friday (1940) and The Philadelphia Story (1940). Along with the later Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and I Was a Male War Bride (1949); these films are frequently cited as among the all-time great comedy films. Having established himself as a major Hollywood star, he was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor, for Penny Serenade (1941) and None but the Lonely Heart (1944). In the 1940s and 1950s, Grant forged a working relationship with the director Alfred Hitchcock, appearing in films such as Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955) and North by Northwest (1959). Hitchcock admired Grant and considered him to have been the only actor that he had ever loved working with. Towards the end of his film career, Grant was praised by critics as a romantic leading man, and received five Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor nominations, including Indiscreet (1958) with Ingrid Bergman, That Touch of Mink (1962) with Doris Day, and Charade (1963) with Audrey Hepburn. He is remembered by critics for his unusually broad appeal, as a handsome, suave actor who did not take himself too seriously, possessing the ability to play with his own dignity in comedies without sacrificing it entirely. His comic timing and delivery made Grant what Premiere magazine considers to have been "quite simply, the funniest actor cinema has ever produced". Grant was married five times; three of his marriages were elopements with actresses Virginia Cherrill (1934-1935), Betsy Drake(1949-1962) and Dyan Cannon (1965-1968). He has one daughter with Cannon, Jennifer Grant (born 1966). After his retirement from film acting in 1966, Grant pursued numerous business interests, representing cosmetics firm Fabere and sitting on the board of MGM and others. He was presented with an Honorary Oscar by his friend Frank Sinatra at the 42nd Academy Awards in 1970, and in 1981, he was accorded at the Kennedy Center Honors. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Grant the second greatest male star of the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema, after Humphrey Bogart. He died November 29, 1986. Dean MartinDean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917-December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, comedian and film producer. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed the "King of Cool" for his seemingly effortless charisma and self-assurance. He and Jerry Lewis formed the immensely popular comedy duo of Martin and Lewis, with Martin serving as the straight man to Lewis' slapstick hijinks. Martin went on to become a star of concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings, motion pictures and television and was also a member of the "Rat Pack." TV and song Martin was the host of the television variety programs The Dean Martin Show and The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. Martin's relaxed, warbling crooningvoice earned him dozens of hit singles, including his signature songs "Memories Are Made of This," "That's Amore," "Everybody Loves Somebody," "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You," "Sway," "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head? Early years Martin was born on June 7, 1917, in Steubenville, Ohio, to an Italian father, Gaetano Alfonso Crocetti (1894-1967), and an Italian-American mother, Angela Crocetti (Barra; 1899-1966). They were married in 1914. His father, who was a barber, was originally from Montesilvano, in Abruzzo, and his maternal grandparents' origins are believed to be also from Abruzzo, although they are not clearly known. Martin had an older brother named William Alfonso Crocetti (1916-1968). Martin's first language was an Abruzzese dialect of Italian, and he did not speak English until he started school at the age of five. He attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville, where he was bullied for his broken English. He later took up the drums as a hobby as a teenager. Martin then dropped out of Steubenville High School in the 10th grade because he thought he was smarter than his teachers. He bootlegged liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, was a blackjackdealer, worked in a steel mill, and boxed as a welterweight. Dean as a boxer At 15, he was a boxer who billed himself as "Kid Crochet." His prizefighting earned him a broken nose (later straightened), a scarred lip, many broken knuckles (a result of not being able to afford tape used to wrap boxers' hands), and a bruised body. Of his 12 bouts, he said: "I won all but 11." For a time, he shared a New York City apartment with Sonny King, who like Martin, was starting in show business and had little money. Martin and King reportedly held bare-knuckle matches in their apartment, fighting until one was knocked out; people paid to watch. Martin knocked out King in the first round of an amateur boxing match. Martin gave up boxing to work as a roulette stickman and croupier in an illegal casinbehind a tobacco shop, where he had started as a stock boy. At the same time, he sang with local bands, calling himself "Dino Martini" (after the Metropolitan Opera tenor, Nino Martini). He got his break working for the Ernie McKay Orchestra. He sang in a crooning style influenced by Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers), among others. In the early 1940s, he started singing for bandleader Sammy Watkins, who suggested he change his name to Dean Martin. Marriages In October 1941, Martin married Elizabeth "Betty" Anne McDonald. They had four children before the marriage ended in 1949. Martin worked for various bands throughout the early 1940s, mostly on looks and personality until he developed his own singing style. Martin flopped at the Riobamba, a nightclub in New York, when he followed Frank Sinatra in 1943, but it was the setting for their meeting. Martin was drafted into the United States Army in 1944 during World War II, serving a year in Akron, Ohio. He was reclassified as 4-F and discharged, possibly because of a double hernia; Jerry Lewis referred to the surgery Martin needed for this in his autobiography. By 1946, Martin was doing well, but he was little more than an East Coast nightclub singer with a common style, similar to that of Bing Crosby. The Rat Pack As Martin's solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became friends. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Martin and Sinatra, along with friends Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr.formed the Rat Pack, so-called after an earlier group of social friends, the Holmby Hills Rat Pack centered on Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, of which Sinatra had been a member (The Martin-Sinatra-Davis-Lawford-Bishop group referred to themselves as "The Summit" or "The Clan" and never as "The Rat Pack", although this has remained their identity in popular imagination). The men made films together, formed part of the Hollywood social scene, and were politically influential (through Lawford's marriage to Patricia Kennedy, sister of President John F. Kennedy). The Rat Pack was legendary for its Las Vegas Strip performances. For example, the marquee at the Sands Hotel might read DEAN MARTIN, MAYBE FRANK, MAYBE SAMMY. Their appearances were valuable because the city would flood with wealthy gamblers. Their act (always in tuxedo) consisted of each singing individual numbers, duets and trios, along with seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter. In the socially charged 1960s, their jokes revolved around adult themes, such as Sinatra's womanizing and Martin's drinking, as well as Davis's race and religion. Sinatra and Martin supported the civil rights movement and refused to perform in clubs that would not allow African-American or Jewish performers. Posthumously, the Rat Pack has experienced a popular revival, inspiring the George Clooney/Brad Pitt "Ocean's Trilogy." Health Martin, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in September 1993, and was told that he would require surgery to prolong his life, but he rejected it. He retired from public life in early 1995 and died of acute respiratory failure resulting from emphysema at his Beverly Hills home on Christmas Day, 1995 at the age of 78. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor. Martin's body was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemeteryin Los Angeles. The crypt features the epitaph "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", the title of his signature song. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! The Site: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com/podcastepisode 25]]>15:45noPODCAST EPISODE 24 - Annette FunicelloThu, 17 May 2018 23:20:40 +0000Disney darling Annette Funicello on our episode cover from 1978. Annette was one of the original members of the Mousketeers. She joined "The Mickey Mouse Club" at age 13 in October 1955. Fans who viewed her every afternoon on their small black and white TV sets sent her over 6,000 letters a week! The singer/actress was born in Utica, New York but moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was three. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She lived with her parents until the day she married. Discovery Walt Disney first discovered Annette when she had the lead in "Swan Lake" in Burbank, California. A lifelong business relationship would follow. She would always call him "Mr. Disney" although she said she thought of him as her second father. He wanted her to call him "Uncle Walt" instead. The beautiful brunette with the wholesome looks was the most popular Mousketeer on the show. "Mickey is more than a mouse to me," she once said. "I am honored to call him my friend." The Mickey Mouse Club gave Annette an opportunity to sing and dance. Although she didn't consider herself a singer, she did record a few Top 40 hit including "Tall Paul" (about Paul Anka) and "Pineapple Princess." It had been said that all the boys wanted to date her and all the girls wanted to be her. First love Annette's first love was singer/songwriter Paul Anka. In 1960, he wrote a song called "Puppy Love" about their relationship. Paul said in an interview that her parents were always telling them it has to be puppy love and you can't possibly be thinking of marriage. Annette was thinking of marrying Paul but Paul felt he was too young and didn't want to take the plunge. Annette called herself "The Queen of Teen." After the Mouse Club, her Disney contract was extended to a film deal. She stared in such Disney favorites as "The Shaggy Dog," and "Babes in Toyland." [caption id="attachment_953" align="alignright" width="208"] Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello as they were during the Beach Party era.[/caption] When she was asked to sign on to a number of beach party movies with Frankie Avalon, Walt Disney gave her his blessing but she remembered: "Mr. Disney said to me one day, 'Annette, I have a favor to ask of you. I know all the girls are wearing bikinis, but you have an image to uphold. I would appreciate it if you would wear a one-piece suit." I did and I never regretted it." As the seven beach party movies progressed, however, Annette can be seen in two piece bathing suits. But true to Walt Disney, she never showed her navel. The America-International Pictures beach party movies from 1963-1968 all had the same plot: an innocent boy and an innocent girl fall in love in a wholesome way with some silly antics thrown in. The beach was the co-star. Frankie's character was always called "Frankie" but Annette was either named "Didi" or "Dolores." It didn't matter that the stars of the films were pale Italian kids instead of California blondes with golden tans frolicking in Malibu. The movies were hits! In 1987, Frankie and Annette returned to the big screen as co-producers and stars of "Back to the Beach." This time they played the parents of troublesome teens. In 1989 and 1990 Frankie and Annette hit the road for a nostalgic concert tour. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) In 1992, Annette shocked the world when she revealed that she had been battling Multiple Sclerosis (MS) since 1987. She wanted to keep it quiet for as long as possible but her staggering became noticeable and there were whispers that she was drinking too much. Even Frankie Avelon questioned her. "I didn't go public about it for a long time because I believed people wanted to think that nothing bad ever happens to Annette. I didn't want them to panic. So for a long time I tried to hide both my divorce from Jack in 1982 and later the MS. But when I went public, the letter that came in both times were so supportive." Annette was a strict Catholic and used her faith to help her in her 25 year battle with the disease.

"I have great faith there is a reason God wanted me to have MS," she told the Californian in 1992. "I think the reason is for me to help others and to raise funds.

She and her husband Glen founded the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases in 1993. The foundation remains committed to finding promising therapies for the diseases. Annette's goal was always to settle down and be a wife and mother. She was married to her agent Jack Gilardi from 1965-1981. They had three children: Gina, Jack, Jr. and Jason. In 1986, Annette married horsebreeder Glen Holt. He remained by her side until her death on April 8, 2013. She was 70 years old. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! The site: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com/podcastepisode24]]>19:50noPODCAST EPISODE 23 - Sweet CarolineWed, 16 May 2018 22:49:44 +0000"Sweet Caroline" is this episode's cover photograph from 1978. Young Caroline A young Caroline Bouvier Kennedy warmed America's hearts as part of the First Family in the early 1960's. The adorable child had blonde hair, blue eyes and freckles. She was photographed riding her pony Macaroni on the White House lawn, disrupting her father's pressconference while wearing her mother's high heels, hiding with her younger brother John under her father's Oval Office desk and greeting the original seven astronauts. A photograph of the beautiful Caroline at this time inspired singer/songwriter Neil Diamond to compose the popular tune "Sweet Caroline." In her teens, she was gawky. She didn't inherit her father's outgoing personality and quick wit nor her mother's striking beauty and sense of fashion. But she did inherit their intellects. Unlike her brother John, she craved her privacy, shunned and had no rapport with the press. She instead became a serious student and Columbia Law School graduate. The author Caroline is the prolific author of nine New York times Best-Selling books on Constitutional law, American history, politics and poetry. Her highest honor to date is being awarded the Ambassadorship to Japan by President Obama from 2013-2017. From the beginning, Caroline was doted on by her parents, John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy after they suffered through a miscarriage and stillborn birth of earlier children. For the first three years of her life she lived in Georgetown when her father was a Senator. At age 3, she moved to the White House and became part of the First Family. To accommodate her, kindergarten classes were set up on the third floor of the White House. The Age of Camelot The two short years of the Kennedy Administration now known as "The Age of Camelot" came to an abrupt end with her father's assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Her mother moved the children back to Georgetown but the house they were living in became a tourist attraction and they had to keep the blinds drawn. A move to 1040 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan gave them the autonomy they were seeking-to a certain extent. Caroline had a very strict upbringing in her teens. her mother kept a sharp eye on both Caroline and her brother John limiting their time with the wild Kennedy cousins who were part of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy's brood. In 1975, Caroline narrowly escaped an IRA car bombing in London when a bomb exploded in a parked car belonging to her hosts Hugh and Antonia Fraser. She was taking a year-long art course at Sotheby's at the time. Another tragic event for Caroline came in June 1968 when her Uncle Bobby (Robert F. Kennedy) was also murdered while running for President. Bobby had been a surrogate father to Caroline and her brother since JFK's death. Her mother said at this time: "If they're killing Kennedys, then my children are targets. I want to get out of the country." Aristotle Onassis The revered widow shocked the world when she turned to Greek Aristotle Onassis-the richest man in the world- for her next husband. His worth was said to be a staggering $1 billion dollars. The 5'4", dark-skinned Turkish-born Onassis was 62 years old and 5'9" Jackie was 39 when they wed. When photographed together they looked like an odd couple. But after being married to the President of the United States, who else would she marry but the world's richest man? It has been written that "their marriage 'was an legal arrrangement' which served the personal interests of both. He would give her the protection she craved and she would be his 'trophy wife.” For Caroline, Ari Onassis would turn out to be a devoted stepdad who was very generous to her. With her mother's new marriage, she would spend her summers and school vacations on the privately-owned Onassis Greek island of Skorpios. During the school year, she would be living back in her NY penthouse. Her mother would be married to Onassis until his death but rumors were out there that they had both consulted divorce attorneys. Caroline's wedding In 1996, Irish/Catholic Caroline married Jewish Edwin Schlossburg in an wedding dress designed by Carolina Herrera. The long bodice was embroidered with white shamrocks as a tribute to her father. Caroline and Edwin met when she was working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Caroline said: "Falling in love with my husband was by far the best thing that's ever happened to me.." Edwin is President of Edwin Schlossberg, Inc.-a design company that specializes in interactive exhibit designs and museum master-planning. The couple have three children: Rose, Tatiana and John. Two more tragedies would occur and leave Caroline as the only surviving member of the Kennedy First Family. Her mother Jacqueline died at age 64 from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and her brother John died in a place crash in 1999. John had been piloting his plane that carried wife Carolyn Bessette and her sister Lauren. They all perished in the ocean off of Martha's Vineyard. John was enroute to a Kennedy cousin wedding in Hyannis Port. Caroline served as Vice Chair of the Fund for Public Schools and helped raise over $280 million for the children in New York City. She is also Honorary President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. When Hillary Clinton's Senate seat was vacant due to her appointment as Secretary of State, Caroline made speeches around the state hoping to draw support for herself on the upcoming ballot. But she lacked the charisma and wasn't a big draw. She made the decision to drop out of the running for "personal reasons." Presidential candidate Barack Obama asked Caroline to serve on a committee to help choose a vice-president for him. Obama later awarded Caroline with the position of Ambassador to Japan. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! The site: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com/podcastepisode23]]>09:25cleanPODCAST EPISODE 22 - Margaret Trudeau and Andy WarholWed, 16 May 2018 16:16:35 +0000Our cover photo of Margaret Trudeau and artist Andy Warhol was taken in 1978 at Studio 54 in New York. At the time, Margaret was an embarrassment to Canada because of her wild antics being recorded in the press. She was the wife of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and would later become the only woman to had been a Canadian Prime Minister's wife and now mother to a Canadian Prime Minister. Her eldest son Justin became Prime Minister in 2015. Young Margaret Margaret became the most unlikely woman to become the wife of a head of state. The former hippie roamed all around the world from one hippie colony to another before settling down in 1971 to marry the 51 year-old Prime Minister when she was 22. She became the mother of three boys: Justin, Alexandre and Michel ( who later died in a skiing avalanche accident in 1998) Lifestyle Hating her cloistered housing in the Prime Minister's home, she preferred alcohol, pot and partying with rock 'n rollers. An all-night party with the Rolling Stones or hanging out at the chic Studio 54 in the late 70’s made front pages everywhere, and she wanted to be in the thick of it. It was during this time that Warhol befriended her, as he saw a kindred spirit in her. Whenever she was in town, you could count on her being with Warhol at Studio 54. Split Margaret didn't gain any respect from the Canadian people when she separated from her husband in 1977 either. As if things at home weren't bad enough, she left her husband with her three young sons and moved to New York to study photography with Richard Avedon. "I was a darling wife when I was good, and when I was bad, I was the worst on the planet," she said. During their separation she dated hot celebs, such as Jack Nicholson and Ryan O'Neal. She also admitted having an eye for Ted Kennedy. The Trudeaus officially divorced in 1984. The answer It wasn't until 2000 that Margaret received her diagnosis of bipolar disorder which had contributed to her wild behavior. Before they put a label on it, it was previously called manic depression. She admits in her autobiography from 2010, "Changing My Mind" that she had numerous hospitalizations and treatments for the disease. She decided to go public about her health issue and has now become a leading advocate for mental health in Canada. Another marriage In 1984, Margaret married Ottawa real estate developer Fried Kemper. The marriage produced a son, Kyle, and a daughter named Alicia. They divorced in 2000. Quote She said in a later interview about her life:

“Who am I?,,, Canada’s Rodney Dangerfield? I get no respect. I don’t care about the respect of the press or the public or anybody. Whose respect every day I’m trying to garner is the respect of my children, my grandchildren and my friends, the people I work with. I find myself now in a position in life where I’m so comfortably in place — but unfortunately I’m getting old.”

Andy Warhol There is much to be said about Andrew Warhola - his given name - who was born August 6 1928. Andy Warhol was an American artist, director and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture, and advertising that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of media, including painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture. Some of his best known works include the silkscreen paintings Campbell's Soup Cans (1962) and Marilyn Diptych (1962), Ethel Scull 36 times (1963), the experimental film Chelsea Girls (1966), and the multimedia events known as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable (1966–67). Early years Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Warhol initially pursued a successful career as a commercial illustrator. After exhibiting his work in several galleries in the late 1950s, he began to receive recognition as an influential and controversial artist. His New York studio, The Factory, became a well-known gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons. He promoted a collection of personalities known as Warhol superstars, and is credited with coining the widely used expression "15 minutes of fame." The 60’s In the late 1960s, he managed and produced the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground and founded Interview magazine. He authored numerous books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties. He lived openly as a gay man before the gay liberation movement. Warhol’s silkscreens Ethel Scull 36 Times is a 1963 painting by American artist Andy Warhol, and is part of the collections of both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. It was Warhol's first commissioned work. The work consists of four rows of nine equal columns, depicting Ethel Scull, a well-known collector of modern art and wife of taxi tycoon Robert Scull. In early 1963 Robert Scull asked Warhol to paint a portrait of his wife (and my mother) after the style of the Marilyn Diptych and Warhol's other depictions of Marilyn Monroe. At the time, this was at the height of the Sculls' fame as an art collector. Warhol took Ethel Scull to a Times Square photo booth and prompted her to take 300 black and white photographs of herself. Warhol told her jokes in an effort to make her photographs more candid. Warhol even complained to her to make each photo count, as he was spending $60 in quarters for the photo booth shots! One hand-colored photo-strip from the session is in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum. Warhol has been the subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions, books, and feature and documentary films. The Andy Warhol Museum in his native city of Pittsburgh, which holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archives, is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to a single artist. Many of his creations are very collectible and highly valuable. The highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting is $105 million for a 1963 canvas titled Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster); his works include some of the most expensive paintings ever sold. A 2009 article in The Economist described Warhol as the "bellwether of the art market". After gallbladder surgery, Warhol died of cardiac arrhythmia in February 1987 at the age of 58. Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! The site: http://CelebrityArchaeology.comhttp://CelebrityArchaeology.com/podcastepisode22Bumper music by Tristan Lohengrin]]>16:08noPODCAST EPISODE 21 - Bella Sophia!Tue, 15 May 2018 00:23:58 +0000Bella Sophia Loren! The ageless Neopolitan beauty is show in a photograph from 1984. She famously said: "Everything you see, I owe to pasta!" If only the Mediterranean diet was the perfect answer for everyone. But for Sophia-it works! Young Sophia Sophia was born September 20, 1934 in a war-torn town called Pozzioli near Naples. To escape from her surroundings, she went to the movies. "When I saw the movies, I forgot about the war... forgot about hunger." She was raised by a single mother who had aspirations of being an actress herself. Her mother won a Greta Garbo look - alike contest but her parents wouldn't permit her to go to Hollywood for a screening. Loren was so thin in her younger days that the neighborhood kids would taunt her and call her "toothpick." She went to Rome and entered the "Miss Italy" beauty contest but didn't win. The contest did garner her some attention and she was offered roles as an extra in films - most of them uncredited. Carlo Ponti Sophia caught the eye of director of Carlo Ponti when she was 17 years of age. He was 22 years her senior. She said he gave her confidence and taught her many things. The still married Ponti who couldn't divorce because of Church rulings, took Sophia under his wing. They finally married in France. "It was love at first sight for both of us, we genuinely loved each other." They were married 41 years until his death in 2007. Beautiful Imperfection They said her eyes were too big and her nose too long but Sophia stuck to her guns and stayed with her natural beauty. In her memoir, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My Life, Loren describes going to Ponti’s office for a test screening and the cameraman saying she’s “impossible to photograph.” When Ponti, an Italian film director and Loren’s late husband, later suggested she try “softening” her “dominant profile,” she refused. "I didn’t want a small, turned-up nose,” she wrote. “I knew perfectly well that my beauty was the result of a lot of irregularities all blended together in one face, my face. Whether I won or lost, it was going to be in the original version." Family Sophia's desire for children and her many miscarriages was well-documented. After being told that she could never bear children by a doctor, she sought the advice of many experts and eventually gave birth to sons Carlo, Jr. and Eduardo. Career The pairing of Italian star Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia in many films was said to be one of the most popular pairings in screen history. Her other co-stars included Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando and Richard Burton to name just a few. It was during the filming of "Houseboat" that Sophia and Cary Grant had a romance but he left the relationship broken-hearted when Sophia returned to Italy to marry her true love Carlo Ponti. Three of Sophia's most famous films include Vittorio DeSica's "Two Women," "Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow," and "Marriage Italian Style." Surprisingly, it would be the role in "Two Women" that won Sophia Loren her Academy Award for Best Actress. The story took her back to roots in war-torn Italy and her remembrances helped her bring life to the screen. Links: The Book:https://amzn.to/2HrXUUSThe Podcast on iTunes:https://apple.co/2HGtPQZHear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes!The Site:http://CelebrityArchaeology.com]]>06:58cleanPODCAST EPISODE 20 - John Travolta & Sylvester StalloneMon, 14 May 2018 17:25:05 +0000How much testosterone can fit in one photograph? Plenty, if the subjects are John Travolta and Sylvester Stallone in this photo taken in 1983 at the premiere of the film "Stayin' Alive." Stallone as director and Travolta as returning character Tony Manero weren't enough to save the film, which was a sequel to the very successful "Saturday Night Fever", but superstars John and Sylvester wouldn't let this dud do them in. John John Travolta was born in Englewood, New Jersey on February 18, 1954. His father Samuel owned a tire repair shop and his mother was an actress and dancer. It was his mother Helen who saw that special something in John and encouraged him to attend drama school in New York City. At age 16, he dropped out of high school to pursue his dream. John's road to success was like many others in the business of acting. He did summer stock and tv commercials.He made his Broadway debut in "Grease" at age 18. This lead to many small roles on television. In 1975, John won out on an audition for the television show "Welcome Back Kotter." He played the role of "Sweathog" Vinnie Barbarino. Barbarino was a cocky Italian-American, the "unofficial official" leader and resident heartthrob of the Sweathogs. His good looks and personality jumped out of the small screen and John became a household name. In 1977, a well-toned John found himself on the big screen on what was supposed to be a small film called "Saturday Night Fever." His acting and amazing dance routines were over the top. He left the TV character Vinnie Barbarino in the dust. His role helped define the disco era and defined him as a superstar and iconic dancer. It even led legendary dancer Fred Astaire to proclaim that John had "it." After "Saturday Night Fever," John had a few more hits with "Grease (1978) and Urban Cowboy (1980). It wasn't until Quentin Tarentino resurrected his career after a lull with 1994's "Pulp Fiction that John's career came back to stay. John said of Tarantino: "There were people who were much hotter than me who wanted the role...but Quentin put his career on the line and refused to make the move without me in it." "Get Shorty" and "Be Cool" quickly followed and it escalated from there. John has been married to actress/wife Kelly Preston since 1991. They are the parents of Ella Bleu and Benjamin. Their son Jett died at age 16 after suffering a seizure. John's earlier love life included a relationship with "Taxi" actress Marilu Henner. He had a great romance with the late actress Diana Hyland. He met her during the filming of "the Boy in the Plastic Bubble" back in 1976. A year later they started dating. She was 18 years his senior. Hyland was diagnosed with breast cancer. 22 year-old Travolta was with Diana in her final moments before she passed away at age 41. Her death tore him apart. There have been rumors that John Travolta is gay but he dismisses all of them.

"This is every celebrity's Achilles heel," he said. "It's just about people wanting money. That's all. It happens on many levels."

John is a member of the controversial Church of Scientology along with actor Tom Cruise. He became affiliated with the group 41 years ago and credits it with helping him deal with son Jett's death. His biggest passion is flying. Flying is oxygen to Travolta. He earned his private pilot’s license at age 22. John holds 11 jet type ratings and is Quantas Airways' Goodwill Ambassador. His home in Ocala, Florida is located in a fly-in community. He has a taxiway right to his door, where he parks his Boeing 707-138 so he can keep an eye on his planes from his living room. Sylvester Sylvester “Sly” Stallone was born July 6, 1946 in New York City. Before he established himself as one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, he was a struggling kid dealing with an unhappy home life with battling parents. While his looks worked as a boxer in “Rocky.”he once admitted in an interview: “ I’m not handsome in the classical sense. The eyes droop, the mouth is crooked, the teeth aren’t straight, the voice sounds like a Mafioso pallbearer, but somehow it all works.” Persistence was the word for the young Sylvester who moved to Philadelphia with his mother and stepfather. He attended a special high school for troubled youth after after graduation, got himself into college at the American College in Switzerland to study drama. Later, he attended the University of Miami. His odd jobs to put food on the table included cleaning lions’ cages at Central Park Zoo and even an appearance in an adult film. Things were starting to look better in 1974 when he married first wife Sasha Czack and landed a role in the independent film “The Lords of Flatbush” with other unknowns such as Henry Winkler and Perry King. Sly wrote a screenplay on his kitchen table about a struggling boxer and tried to sell the script for years. The dangler was that he would get to star in it. Finally, in 1976 “Rocky” was released and earned 10 Academy Awards including “Best Picture”. Rocky Balboa and later Vietnam Vet character John Rambo would turn into a franchise operation. The action films had sequel after sequel-all successful. As late as 2015, Stallone was nominated for an Oscar for the revival of Rocky Balboa in “Creed.” Stallone’s first marriage to Sasha ended in divorce. They had two children. Son Sage died in July 2012. He was found dead in his LA home. Seth is their second son. Actress/Model Brigitte Nielsen was married to Sly from 1985 to 1987. Both have said the marriage was a big mistake. Sylvester's current wife is model Jennifer Flavin. They have three strikingly beautiful daughters: Sophia, Sistene and Scarlet and were married in 1997. Links: The Book:https://amzn.to/2HrXUUSThe Podcast on iTunes:https://apple.co/2HGtPQZHear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes!The site:http://CelebrityArchaeology.com]]>10:00noPODCAST EPISODE 19 - Paul McCartney's "My Love"Mon, 14 May 2018 00:13:56 +0000Paul and Linda McCartney, photographed in 1982, are on this episode’s cover. We can thank Linda for being the inspiration behind Paul's most beautiful ballads including "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "My Love." The couple Paul told People Magazine in 1993 that "Any love song I wrote was written for Linda." Their marriage lasted 29 years until Linda's death from breast cancer on April 17, 1993. They spent only a total of 11 nights apart when Paul was jailed in Japan on a marijuana charge. Paul fell for the striking Linda after meeting her in 1967 when she was a celebrity photographer on assignment in London. Paul took to the American woman who was unassuming. She dressed down and preferred being out with mother nature rather than attend parties.

"I don't need a lot of money, simplicity is the answer for me," she said. (Paul's estimated net worth at the time was $860 million). The McCartneys married in 1969 and Paul adopted her daughter Heather. They spent blissful days on a farm in Scotland where they raised their growing family. Mary, Stella (the successful fashion designer) and James completed the group.

Linda's background Linda Eastman was born in New York City and raised in Westchester. Her father was an entertainment lawyer. She lost her mother in an airline crash which gave her a fear of flying . She preferred spending time at home rather than traveling. Linda attended Vermont College where she received an Associate of Arts degree. Later, she attended the University of Arizona where she majored in Fine Arts. It was while she was at the University of Arizona that she met and married Melvin See. They had a daughter named Heather. The marriage was short-lived and Linda found herself living as a single mom. She got a job as a receptionist at Town and Country Magazine. She used an unwanted invitation to a Rolling Stones party in New York to document the event and photograph the band. This became an important career change for her. In the mid-sixties, she continued to chronicle all of the top bands of the musical revolution going on. On May 11, 1968, she became the first female photographer to have her work o the cover of Rolling Stone. It was a photograph of Eric Clapton. Animals

Besides photography, animals and vegetarianism were Linda's passions. Linda described the McCartney's meatless turning point: " We stopped eating meat many years ago. During the course of a Sunday lunch we happened to look out of the kitchen window at our young lambs playing happily in the fields. Glancing down at our plates, we suddenly realized that we were eating the leg of an animal who had until recently been playing in a field herself. We looked at each other and said,'Wait a minute, we love these sheep-they're such gentle creatures. So why are we eating them?' It was the last time we ever did.

Linda published a successful line of vegetarian cookbooks and together with her husband they started McVege- a line of vegetarian products. Wings It was Linda who helped Paul through the devastating breakup of the Beatles. In 1971, Paul and Linda formed Wings. He taught her how to play keyboards and her vocals can be heard on all of their music. "When I first toured with Wings, the things that were said about me were true, " she said. "I did sing out of tune!" ----- Paul's final words to Linda:

"You're up on your beautiful Appaloosa stallion. It's a fine spring day. We're riding through the woods. The bluebells are all out, and the sky is clear-blue."

Links: The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The podcast: http://celebrityarchaeology.com/podcastepisode19 The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! ]]>07:09cleanPODCAST EPISODE 18 - Woody & Mia: A Greek TragedySun, 13 May 2018 00:21:16 +0000The way they were! Woody Allen and Mia Farrow photographed in 1983. Although they had a 12 year relationship that began in 1980, the stars never married. They were tied by their work together in films, two adopted and one questionable biological child and a famous uncoupling. Be sure to get comfortable in your chair, as there are a lot of moving parts to this story! Many children Mia has been the mother to 14 children including four biological and ten adopted children. When she started to date Woody, she already had 7 children in her family including Korean orphan Soon-Yi Previn (adopted with second husband Andre Previn). In 1985, Mia and Allen adopted daughter Dylan together. To this day, Dylan maintains that Woody had sexually abused her as a child. He strongly denies the charges and he was cleared in court. Satchel/Ronan Satchel (now named Ronan) was said to be the bioglogical child of Mia and Woody but a Vanity Fair interview in 2013 raised doubt. Mia said that Rowan "may possibly be Frank Sinatra's child, not Woody Allen's." She revealed that Frank was the greatest love of her life and they never really split up. A DNA test has never been performed to confirm or deny Ronan's paternity. Photos of Ronan and Sinatra side-by-side reveals an uncanny resemblance to Ol' Blue Eyes. Woody Woody Allen is famous as a filmmaker, writer, actor and former stand-up comedian. He began comedy writing for TV shows in the 1950's. In the late 70's he produced some of his best films, including Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979) and later, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). He has won 4 Academy awards including three for best original screenplay and one for best director. He also has written a few Broadway plays including "Don't Drink The Water." and "Play It Again, Sam." Woody's Marriages Woody has been married three times. Harlen Rose (1956-1959) when he was seventeen, Actress Louise Lasser (1966-1970) and Soon-Yi Previn (1997-present). Soon-Yi The relationship with Soon-Yi Previn (Mia's adopted daughter) began in 1992. Mia found naked pictures of Soon-Yi in Allen's apartment. The revelation rocked Mia's family and Woody received very bad press as Soon-Yi -although not related to Allen-was considered a father figure in their household. Soon-Yi and Woody married in 1997 and they are still husband and wife. Their household includes two adopted children. Woody has said of the relationship, "I'm 35 years older and somehow, through no fault of mine, the dynamic works. ... I was paternal. She responded to someone paternal. I liked her youth and energy. She deferred to me, and I was happy to give her an enormous amount of decision making as a gift and let her take charge of so many things. She flourished." Mia Mia Farrow had a Hollywood upbringing with her director/father John Farrow and actress/mother Maureen O' Sullivan of "Tarzan" fame. She was raised in a strict, large Catholic family. Mia has starred in over 50 films including 13 of Director Woody Allen's from 1982-1992. Marriages Mia's first husband was the legendary Frank Sinatra. She married him on July 19, 1966 when she was 21 and he was 50. He handed her divorce papers and it was final in 1968. He wanted her to give up her career and she was just getting started. On September 10, 1970, Mia married London composer and conductor Andrew Previn. They divorced in 1979. Mia's Children Mia has been mother to 14 biological and adopted children. Three of the children are now deceased. Mia and her second husband Andre Previn became parents to biological twin boys in 1970. Mia and Andre adopted Vietnamese orphan Lark and her younger sister Daisy in 1974. In 1974, Fletcher Previn-Mia's third biological child-was born. Soon-Yi Previn was adopted in 1978 from Korea just one year before her parents divorced. Moses was adopted in 1980 by Mia and later adopted by her companion Woody in 1991 as well. Mia adopted daughter Dylan in 1985 and Woody adopted her as well in 1991. Satchel, who later changed his name to Ronan, was thought to be the biological child of Mia and Woody but that is now a big question mark. Ronan, who is well-know in the TV news industry was the youngest graduate from Bard College at age 15 and later was named a Rhodes Scholar. In 1992, Mia had two more adoptions. A blind girl named Tan from Vietnam (who passed away in 2000) and Isaiah. In 1994, Quincy Farrow (who was born of a drug-addicted mother) joined the family. In 1995, Frankie, another blind child from Vietnam was added. Mia Quote

"I get it now; I didn't get it then, that life is about losing and about doing it as gracefully as possible...and enjoying everything in between."

----- The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! The Site: http://CelebrityArchaeology.com The Donation: https://bit.ly/2IqoJMh]]>09:05noPODCAST EPISODE 17 - The Piano MenSat, 12 May 2018 16:33:53 +0000Goodness gracious, Great Balls of Fire! The cover art for this episode: It's the piano man and the piano man photographed in 1977. Billy Joel with Jerry Lee Lewis. Jerry Lee Lewis There is plenty to say about Jerry Lee Lewis "The Killer" who broke ground during the early days of rock 'n roll. He turned the piano into a rock 'n roll instrument for the first time and entertained while playing with his foot on the keyboard. Chuck Berry refused to perform onstage with him after he set his piano on fire. "I want to see you follow that, Chuck!" he reportedly said to him at the time. Early life Jerry Lee was born in Ferriday, Louisiana. He married for the first time at age 17. He tied the knot a second time before the 1st divorce was final. But it was his third shocking marriage that would land him on front pages all over the world. Soon after signing the Sun Records contract, Jerry married Myra Gale Brown-the 13 year-old daughter of his cousin-which made her his first cousin once removed. No one accepted this arrangement on either side of the pond and it was almost the end of his career. His records were banned from the radio and Dick Clark dropped him from appearing on his TV show. All would be forgiven and forgotten when in 1986 he was inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. The making of a star Jerry Lee was signed to a five year record contract with Sam Phillip's Sun Records label from Memphis. He was part of a group that was referred to as "The Million Dollar Quartet." Although they did not perform together, the quartet consisting of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis was legendary in churning out hit after hit in a new genre called "Rock 'n Roll." He got his first break on Steve Allen's Plymouth TV show in 1957 when he performed "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." Later, Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" would turn out to be one of the world's best-selling singles of all time. Mysterious deaths Lewis would end up marrying for a seventh time. But mysterious deaths of two wives and tragedies of two of his children would haunt him. He has been married to wife number seven, Judith, since 2012. The father of six children, Jerry Lee lost his son Steven Allen Lewis at age three after a swimming pool drowning. Another son, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jr. died at age 19 when his Jeep overturned. Lewis's fourth wife also drowned in a swimming pool accident weeks before their divorce became final. And wife number five died mysteriously after only 77 days of marriage. Jerry Lee was never charged in any of these incidents. Personal problems Jerry Lee got into deep financial problems with the IRS and also sought treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic for pill addiction. Quote:

“I ain’t no goody-goody,” he said.. "And I ain’t no phoney. I never pretended to be anything, and anything I ever did, I did it wide-open as a case knife. I’ve lived my life to the fullest and I had a good time doin’ it. And I ain’t never wanted to be no teddy bear.”

Billy Joel The Bronx-born, Levittown, NY - raised Billy Joel was the reluctant rock star. “I don’t look like a rock-and-roll star,” he told Details. “I look like the guy who delivers the pizza.” Piano became his life after he was introduced to it as an early age by his classical pianist father. By the age of 16, he had performed in three bands before he got his driver's license. And at age 16, he played piano on The Shangra-La's recording of "The Leader of the Pack." Billy's first solo album titled "Cold Spring" was not the hit he was planning on. So he packed up and moved to L.A. and became a lounge pianist. It was this job that would inspire his famous song "Piano Man." The Hit Maker Billy's list of memorable songs include such favorites as "We Didn't Start The Fire," "Uptown Girl," "Levittown," "New York State of Mind," and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me." In 1999, Billy was inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, he received a Kennedy Center Honor. “I never wanted to be an oldies act, but I suppose I am,” he said. “I never wanted to be a nostalgia act, but I suppose I am. But I listen to Beethoven, and that’s really old stuff. Is that nostalgia? To me, that music is as alive as it ever was.” Wives: Billy has been married four times. He divorced his first wife, Elizabeth Weber in 1982. She had been the wife of the drummer in his band. In 1982, the diminutive Billy married leggy supermodel Christie Brinkley. Their marriage would produce daughter Alexa Ray (named after the musician Ray Charles). His third wife was celebrity chef and TV personality Katie Lee. They had a 32 year age difference between them.Finally, in 2015, Billy married Alexis Roderick. They have two children together-daughters Della Rose and Remy Ann. Personal Problems behind him Billy has been open about rehab for alcoholism in the past. His biography revealed that he survived two suicide attempts, but these days, he is well and rockin' with the greats, his grand piano in tow, filling large venues with his rabid fans.]]>07:54cleanPODCAST EPISODE 16-Hanoi JaneSat, 12 May 2018 01:09:33 +0000Love her or hate her, Jane Fonda (our episode cover photo from 1979) has managed to look ageless even at 80! The former model, actress, political activist and exercise guru is still very much on the scene after she vowed to retire from films in the early 1990's. Early Years Jane was born part of a Hollywood dynasty. Her father is the late legend Henry Fonda , Peter Fonda who broke ground with "Easy Rider" is her brother and her niece is the actress Bridget Fonda. Jane's upbringing was tough with a distant father and the suicide that claimed her mother's life when she was 12. She attended Vassar, worked as a model and appeared as a Vogue cover girl twice, studied art in Paris and then was encouraged by acting coach Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York who recognized her talent. Career Broadway was her first calling and then her acting credits in films started rolling. Jane earned two Academy Awards for best actress in 1971 and 1978 for "Klute" and "Coming Home Her film range included " Barbarella," " Cat Ballou," China Syndrome," " On Golden Pond," " They Shoot Horses, Don't They?," "9 to 5" and many others. In 2009, Jane returned to Broadway and was nominated for a Tony award for her role in "Moisés Kaufmans 33 Variations." She currently stars in the Netflix series, "Grace and Frankie" with Lily Tomlin. Exercise No one will forget the exercise craze with Jane Fonda in her striped leotard leading the routines. Her exercise video became the highest selling video of all time. Controversy Political activism started for Jane during the Vietnam war. A strong opponent, she went a step too far when she was photographed sitting on an anti-American aircraft gun in Hanoi during her 1972 visit to the country. She has apologized for her actions, but most veterans of the war are unforgiving and nicknamed her "Hanoi Jane." Apology In a 1988 interview with Barbara Walters, Fonda expressed regret for some of her comments and actions, stating: "I would like to say something, not just to Vietnam veterans in New England, but to men who were in Vietnam, who I hurt, or whose pain I caused to deepen because of things that I said or did. I was trying to help end the killing and the war, but there were times when I was thoughtless and careless about it and I'm very sorry that I hurt them. And I want to apologize to them and their families. [...] I will go to my grave regretting the photograph of me in an anti-aircraft gun, which looks like I was trying to shoot at American planes. It hurt so many soldiers. It galvanized such hostility. It was the most horrible thing I could possibly have done. It was just thoughtless." Health Jane has disclosed that she has suffered from Bulimia and has recovered from breast cancer after a lumpectomy in 2010. She has also come forward in the "Me Too" campaign stating that she had been sexually harassed during her career. Husbands: The actress has been married three times. Her first marriage was to French director Roger Vadim from 1965-1963. They had a daughter named Vanessa. Her second husband was Tom Hayden who was a U.S. activist, cofounder of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Vietnam War opponent, and member of the Chicago Seven. During this time, Mary Williams appeared in Jane's life and she stayed on as an "unofficial" adopted daughter. The Haydens had a son named Troy Garrity. The couple didn't want to burden him with either the Fonda or Hayden last name. Jane's marriage to Hayden lasted from 1973-1990. Jane's last marriage was to Atlanta tycoon Ted Turner from 1991-2001. A relationship with record producer Richard Perry lasted from 2009-2010. The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! The Donation: https://bit.ly/2IqoJMh]]>07:08noPODCAST EPISODE 9 - Joe NamathFri, 11 May 2018 12:43:22 +0000Joe Namath is a former American football quarterback and actor known as much for playing on the field as playing off the field. The Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania native 1969 Super Bowl III star made headlines while escorting arm candy such as Mamie Van Doren, Randi Oakes and Raquel Welch. He even dated Janis Joplin. But it was in 1984 that Joe's bachelor days were over when, at age 41, he married 22 year old Deborah Mays. He said at the time: "She caught my last pass." The marriage lasted almost 15 years and produced two daughters, Grace and Olivia. Mays , who said she was "bored" with Joe, took off with a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and left Namath with the two girls in Florida. Namath began his football career at the University of Alabama from 1962-1964. Paul "Bear" Bryant said he was the most natural athlete he ever coached. He left Alabama early for a professional football career and didn't earn his degree from the university until 2007 at age 64. Joe played professional football in both the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for over 13 years during the 1960s and 1970s. He was an AFL icon and played for the New York Jets for most of his professional football life. He finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. In total, he played 143 games in the AFL and NFL. He made it to three division champions (the 1968 and 1969 AFL East Champion Jets and the 1977 NFC West Champion Rams), and earned one league championship (1968 AFL Championship). His one Super Bowl victory was Super Bowl III in 1969. Chronic injuries from the game continue to haunt him. In 1992 ,he had knee replacement surgery on both knees. He also says that he has had long term health problems as a result of concussions while playing football. "None of the body was designed to play football," he told the New York Daily News in 2014. "Excuse me, you know, football, we're just not designed for." Joe's other career paths including nightclub ownership, sports commentator, film star and TV actor. You can catch him in such films as C.C. and Company with Ann-Margret or reruns of The Love Boat, The A-Team and Married...with children. He also appeared in summer stock. At the height of his fame, he was seen in a TV commercial wearing Hanes pantyhose and one in which Farrah Fawcett gave him a close Noxema shave. An embarrassing on-air moment came for a drunken Namath in 2003. He told sports interviewer Suzy Kolber: "I want to kiss you. I couldn't care less about the team struggling." He apologized and two weeks later entered an outpatient alcohol treatment program. In 2013, Namath's daughter Olivia married her baby daddy at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida. She was just 16 when she had Erwin Baker III's daughter. Baker has a lengthy rap sheet including pleading guilty in 2006 to armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon at a McDonald's near his home. Namath gave the bride away.]]>06:07noPODCAST EPISODE 10 - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?Fri, 11 May 2018 12:42:02 +0000How can you mend a broken heart?" These lyrics were prophetically written by brothers Barry and Maurice Gibb with Maurice's twin Robin joining in on the group's vocals. Together they were known as The Bee Gees. The year was 1971 and the song became their first number 1 on the US's Billboard Hot 100. The Bee Gees would go on to become the only group in history to have written, recorded and produced six consecutive number one songs. Tragically, the last remaining brother is lead singer Barry Gibb. Maurice died in 2003 at age 53 from a twisted intestine and his twin Robin died at age 62 in 2012 from cancer. Younger brother Andy, who was a solo artist with his own string of hits - died in 1988 from inflammation of the heart compounded by drug abuse. He was only five days past his 30th birthday and had recently come clean from an addiction to cocaine and Quaaludes. Following his brothers' deaths, Barry told the UK’sDaily Mirror in an interview that after a performance on Saturday Night Live, also starring Paul McCartney, he looked at his old friend Paul and said: “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep doing this. Paul said, ‘Well, what else are you going to do?’ And I just thought, ‘Well, OK, then’.” Throughout their career, The Bee Gees had many comebacks. They also had split up for a time but according to Barry in a Daily Mail interview. How intense was the sibling rivalry in the Bee Gees? ‘Well, I don’t think it’s any different from any other family of brothers or sisters.’ A mix of competition and closeness? Yes. All of those things. You have enormous arguments. Then you become incredibly close and again have really angry moments with each other. Nothing different from any other family except our obsession with music. That’s how it was." The Gibb brothers were originally from the Isle of Man off the west coast of England. Their father was a band leader and their mother was a housewife. In their youth, the family moved to Australia. Barry dropped out of school at age 15 and the twins dropped out at age 13. They practiced their harmonies at home and Barry, known as the good-looking toothy Gibb, perfected his falsetto voice. They returned to England and had two hits "New York Mining Disaster 1941" and "To Love Somebody." They would experience 5 years in what Barry called "Pop Wilderness," before they had another hit. The group was almost written off until the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever” was released in December 1977. They wrote the first five songs on side A, which forever defined the Disco era, in just one weekend. Their five original songs were: "Stayin Alive," "Night Fever," "How Deep Is Your Love," "More Than a Woman and "If I Can't Have You." The soundtrack has gone platinum 15 times and earned The Bee Gees a Grammy Award. The BeeGees sold more than 200 million records worldwide. In 1997 they were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Besides writing for themselves, they wrote and produced music for Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Barry has since taken to the stage as a solo artist reviving The Bee Gees’ mega hits, and in the process, has found a new generation of music fans.]]>05:47noPODCAST EPISODE 11 - A Prodigy Named Michael JacksonFri, 11 May 2018 12:40:02 +0000This episode photo of Michael Jackson, taken at 19, in 1980 before he became the "King of Pop." The adorable teen idol, who grew up before our eyes as a member of the Jackson 5, would continue to be embedded in pop culture history throughout his life. Born in Gary, Indiana, he began performing with his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon as "The Jackson 5". When Motown got wind of the brothers they were signed to a recording contract where they popped out four number one singles in a row including "I Want You Back" (1969) ," ABC "(1970) , "The Love You Save "(1970), and " I'll be There "(1970) But it was young Michael who emerged as the headliner of the group. Rolling Stone magazine called the child performer "a prodigy." It was at this early stage that Michael began taking on the songwriting duties for the group. He began a solo career in 1971 but in the 1980s had reunited and toured again with his brothers. in 1982, he recorded the album "Thriller." To this day, it is the best selling album of all time! His performance in 1983 for "Motown 26: Yesterday, Today, Forever " garnered 47 million viewers and is rated up there with "The Beatles" U.S. debut on Ed Sullivan. Music producer Barry Gordy said of it, "From the first beat of 'Billie Jean," I was mesmerized." It was after Michael introduce his famous Moonwalk choreography that "Michael Jackson went into orbit and never came down, " Gordy said. Not satisfied with his already great looking appearance, Michael's face changed along with his career. His skin tone became paler. He attributed it to a skin condition called vitiligo. Others claimed he was bleaching his skin to appear whiter. The metamorphosis of his face resulted in him looking like a pixieish character. Michael only admitted to two rhinoplasties and a dimple which was created in his chin. His strange lifestyle earned him such titles as "Wacko Jacko." He seemed to play with the press when he carried around his pet chimp Bubbles, offered photos of himself sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber to the tabloids and went on a date with both Brooke Shields and little actor Emmanuel Lewis. Michael's personal life made front page news when The King of Pop married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of the King of Rock 'n Roll Elvis Presley. ‘Yes, I started falling for him,’ she explained. ‘I wanted to help him, and I felt that I could.’ As he fell further into drug addiction, she stood by him. One night, during one of their phone calls, he wanted to know how she would respond if he asked her to marry him. Without hesitation, she replied:"I would do it." The marriage would last less than 2 years. Yearning for children, he moved on to a nurse from his dermatologist's office. Debbie Rowe provided him with two children-Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Jackson. After their quick divorce, she turned the kids over to him as planned. It is still up in the air as to whether Michael fathered the kids. Rumors are that that distinction belonged to Dr. Arnold Klein, his dermatologist. Michael appeared with a third child (parentage unknown) which he nicked named "Blanket." Blanket's legal name is Prince Michael Jackson II. There was backlash after a famous scene where he laughed and dangled Blanket over a hotel balcony while everyone below looked in horror. Important to mention is the charitable Michael who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 and 2003. In 2000, he was included in the Guinness Book of Records as a pop star who supported the biggest number of charity organizations (39 at the time). A 1988 autobiography spoke of his lost childhood and physical abuse at the hands of his father, Joe. Jackson's questionable attraction to children and his purchase of "Neverland" ranch where he would entertain them took on an ugly tone. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse but it was settled out of court. In 2005, he had a trial for similar charges but was tried and acquitted of more sexual abuse allegations. Viewers were glued to the TV watching the strange comings and goings including Jackson showing up in pajamas and his "umbrella man" assistant escorting him to the courthouse. The jury found him "not guilty" on all charges. Ready for a comeback, Jackson prepared for his final "This is It" tour. But "This is it" would turn out to be really it for him. On June 25, 2009, before making even one stop on tour, he died after suffering cardiac arrest. The coroner said he had acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in his death. Michael Jackson's longevity continues to this day. Forbes magazine ranked him the top-earning deceased celebrity for 2017. .]]>08:33noPODCAST EPISODE 12 - Well, Hello, Dolly!Fri, 11 May 2018 12:37:22 +0000Well, Hello Dolly! This episode photo of bootylicious Dolly Parton was taken in 1978. The five foot tall singer, songwriter and actress with the hourglass figure and big bouffant hair has been churning out hits for decades. "I like the big hair and the gaudy clothes. I’ve never thought of myself as being a sex symbol and I don’t want to have to be a beautiful woman, like Raquel Welch. 'I want people to know it’s me when they see me coming and when they see me leavin'... 'so I figured I might as well look even more extreme,'" she said in an interview." The New Yorker described her voice as "baby-high soprano." It can be heard on such hits as "Jolene" and "Here You Come Again," which earned Dolly her first Grammy Award. In 1983, she wrote and recorded "I Will Always Love You" about her professional split with country legend Porter Wagoner. They were a successful vocal duo who recorded such songs as "The Last Thing On My Mind," and "Please, Don't Stop Loving Me." In 1992, Dolly's "I Will Always Love You" would be recorded again but by Whitney Houston for the soundtrack "The Bodyguard." It would turn out to be one of the best-selling singles of all time." When asked what she did with all of the profit from that song she said she just went out and bought more wigs! Dolly has appeared on the screen in a list of duds but also had some great success with "Steel Magnolias," and "9 to 5" which she (again) wrote and recorded the theme song. Dolly was born into poverty on January19, 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee. Her childhood home in the Great Smokey Mountains was a log cabin with no running water or electricity. She was one of 12 children born to her tobacco farmer father and her mother who was a housewife. She was also the first in her family to graduate from high school. At age seven, Dolly started strumming on a homemade guitar and at age 10, she began performing in local TV shows and radio in Knoxville. To this day, she says her most favorite song is "A Coat of Many Colors," which she wrote and recorded in 1971. The song tells how her mother stitched a colorful coat for her out of rags. "...nothing is as precious as my mama's memory and my coat of many colors that she made for me." In the beginning of her career, Dolly began churning out songs for other country artists such as Hank Williams, Jr. and Kitty Wells. She has composed over 3,000 songs to date and her worth is over $600 million. This is thanks to her early decision to publish her own music, concerts and royalties. She also has "Dollywood Theme Park" inPigeon Forge, Tennessee which attracts over 2.1 million visitors a year. Dolly has been married to the "mysterious" Carl Deansince 1966. They met at a Nashville laundromat called"The Wishy Washy." "He's very private and I've always respected that for him and about him," she said. However, Dolly shocked her fans when she said she is in an open marriage. She revealed in an interview that she contemplated suicide over a failed love affair. She later took a step back and said there were no sexual relations in her other affairs. There have been rumors for years that Dolly was in a relationship with her assistant and childhood friend Judy Ogle which she has vehemently denied. Dolly is a well-known philanthropist who has donated more than 10 million books annually to improve child literacy through her Dollywood Foundation. Hear the podcast:]]>06:26noPODCAST EPISODE 13 - John & Yoko, A Love StoryFri, 11 May 2018 12:35:05 +0000The cover photo of this episode was taken in 1980, but no one could have imagined that on December 8 of that year Yoko Ono would become a widow and the world would never recover from the murder of one of its greatest musicians and peace activist . Shortly before John Lennon's murder, he resumed his songwriting career following a break as househusband and caretaker to their son Sean. Their "Double Fantasy" album was in the works and was released just three weeks before his cold-blooded killing in front of his apartment house-The Dakota-in New York City. The album gave us such memorable songs as "Woman," and "(Just like) Starting Over." Yoko Ono was known as"The woman who broke up The Beatles." John insisted on her attending the recording sessions that had been off limits to girlfriends and wives. Shadowing John into the studio and pushing her musical critiques onto the other three band members created a resentment and was seen as the force behind The Beatles breakup in 1970. To clarify the situation, Paul McCartney told the Observer that it wasn't Ono who caused the split. '"She certainly didn't break the group up, the group was breaking up," he says. "When Yoko came along, part of her attraction was her avant garde side, her view of things, so she showed him another way to be, which was very attractive to him. So it was time for John to leave, he was definitely going to leave [one way or another]." John and Yoko met at her art show in London on November 9, 1966. The Japanese-born, privileged woman had an eccentric side that spewed over into her art work and experimental music. John was fascinated with all of it and fell in love with her. Both were married to others at the time. On March 14, 1969 John and Yoko officially became a couple. They spent their honeymoon in Amersterdam with their first week-long "Bed in for Peace." A second would be held in Montreal where they recorded "Give Peace a Chance." Solo Early musical collaborations with John and Yoko were not that successful. In 1969, recording as the Plastic Ono Band, they released an album consisting of John singing rock standards in the first half and a screeching Ono singing in the second half. The Lennons moved to Manhattan in 1970 to get away from all of the bad press that the London tabs were printing about Yoko. However, in 1970, he faced deportation charges from the U.S. due to an earlier drug charge and was added to President Nixon's Enemy List because of his anti-war protests. The couple separated in 1973 and Ono handed John over to May Pang -her assistant- with her blessings. They were together 18 months. This time has been referred to as John's "Lost Weekend." John realized he couldn't live without Yoko and they recharged as a couple. Their son Sean would be born on October 9, 1975-John's 35th birthday. Imagine John's solo career will be forever etched with his song for peace, "Imagine." It was one of the 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century and recently featured in a big production at the opening of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. In 2017, it was announced that Yoko would receive co-songwriting credit for the song per John Lennon's wishes. In a 1980 interview Lennon said credit for "Imagine" should be shared with Ono because he took the concept and the lyrics from her book "Grapefruit." The words are still strong and valid: "I hope someday you'll join us and the world will live as one." Yoko Ono turned 85 on February 18, 2018. Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ]]>06:39noPODCAST EPISODE 14 - The Jiggler, the Jingler and the MermaidFri, 11 May 2018 12:31:32 +0000 trifecta. The jiggler, the jingler and the mermaid together in 1982. Pictured are Suzanne Somers, Barry Manilow and the late Esther Williams. This unlikely threesome is just one of the many odd couplings of celebs that you'll find at Celebrity Archaeology.comSuzanne Somers. She'll be forever remembered as the blonde in the white Thunderbird in American Graffiti. After playing many dumb blonde roles, Suzanne has lasted in show business by taking detours. Career Actress, author, infomercial gal and health spokesperson has kept her name in the forefront. She is the author or more than 25 books with the latest being "Two's Company" about her 50 year relationship with her husband/manager Alan Hamel. Her role as Chrissy Snow on "Three's Company" made her a household name but listening to her husband's advice cost her the role on the hit TV com. Asking for a big pay raise and 10% of the profit of the show backfired and Suzanne found herself out of a job. She tried her hand at other series including "Step by Step" but it would be her writing that would draw attention. In between books, she became the spokesman for Thighmaster which is one of the most memorable infomercials ever made. She also found time to star in a Las Vegas show. Books The subjects of Suzanne's books range from her personal account growing up with an alcoholic father to tips on her ageless beauty. The book was called "Ageless: The naked truth about Bioidentcial Hormones (1966). A breast cancer survivor, she underwent a lumpectomy and radiation therapy. Her unconventional alternative cancer treatments which she also put in a books gave her both praise and criticism. Quote

"Every morning I get up, and I do a meditation of gratitude for the love I have in my life, my wonderful husband, my wonderful children, the work I get to do, the country I get to live in,” she says. “I think happiness is something you can choose."

Barry Manilow You heard his jingles before you knew him. Writing songs for McDonald's and Dr. Pepper preceded his world-wide recognition as an entertainer and songwriter. Early Career The Brooklyn-born Barry has an interesting fact on his resume. He was then-unknown Bette Midler's pianist when she was performing in New York's gay bath houses. It seemed an unlikely path for the young musician who studied at New York College of Music and Julliard School. The hit maker ("Mandy," "I Write the Songs" and "Copacabana") are three songs that define the popular entertainer. After touring, he took up residence in Las Vegas with his show-stopping performances. Love It wasn't until April 2017 that Barry revealed that he had been married to his partner Gary Kief after a 30 year relationship. Afraid to come out to the public, he was shocked to find that his fans still supported him. Quote

“I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything,” Manilow said. “When they found out that Gary and I were together, they were so happy. The reaction was so beautiful — strangers commenting, ‘Great for you!’ I’m just so grateful for it.”

Esther Williams She was known as "America's Mermaid." Esther Williams capitalized on her talent as a champion synchronized swimmer to bring something new to the screen. The Musicals Her beautiful body and pool scenes made her a darling of MGM in the '40s and 50's. Technicolor brought her routines to life and she said it seemed as if she "invited the viewers into the pool with her." Two of her famous movies to check out are "Neptune's Daughter," and "Million Dollar Mermaid." Other Ventures Esther left acting but kept her name in the public when she started her Esther Williams swimwear line and Esther Williams Pool Company-both of which are still around today. Family Life She married four times. Her third husband was the actor Fernando Lamas and she remained with him until his death. Esther died on April 6, 2013 in Los Angeles at the age of 91. Quote

]]>07:24noPODCAST EPISODE 15 - Masters of Doo Wop - Dion DiMucci and Bobby RydellFri, 11 May 2018 12:22:35 +0000Dion Dion DiMucci is a Bronx-born Italian-American singer/songwriter who perfected his craft singing on street corners. He pulled three of his best buddies to back him up in a group called The Belmonts. Dion was the master of the doo-wop sound. Churning out 30 top hits in the late 50's and early 60's, he is best remembered for "The Wanderer," "Runaround Sue," and later"Abraham, Martin and John." Fate While performing with The Belmonts in an all-star concert in Clear Lake, Iowa, he was asked to board a plane for the next stop on the tour. Dion decided he didn't want to spent the $38 for the flight and that decision saved his life. On February 3, 1959-"The Day the Music Died"- Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper and others were killed in the plane that he passed up. Demons Dion's autobiography "The Wanderer" tells of his battle with heroin addiction. He had been an addict since his teens. In early 1960, he checked into a hospital for treatment for the first time. When he returned to music as a solo artist he had another string of hits including "Runaround Sue" which reached number 1 in 1961. A few years ago, Dion’s wife Susan DiMucci was asked if she was the inspiration for the song. She said the only place she runs around is in the Publix Supermarket. However, in an Oprah Winfrey interview, the DiMuccis admitted the song was indeed about Sue being disloyal to Dion when they were dating. Born again In 1979, Dion revealed he became a born-again Christian but he returned to Catholicism-the religion of his youth- in the late 1990s. Today, Dion has a prison ministry and counsels men through addiction and recovery. Dion was indicted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Family Dion has been married to his wife Susan since 1963. They split their time between Boca Raton, Florida and NYC. They are the parents of 3 children. Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli who changed his name to Bobby Rydell was another Italian-American teen idol at the time. His inspiration came from the street corners of South Philadelphia. There must have been something in the water because the same neighborhood also produced teen idols Frankie Avalon and Fabian. Earlier artists from the same city blocks includeAl Martino, Mario Lanza and Eddie Fisher. Career Bobby Rydell sold 25 million records in his career. He is most famous for "Wild One" and "Volare." The glory days for Rydell's hits were between 1959-1964. In 1963 he made the move to the big screen co-starring with Ann-Margret in "Bye, Bye Birdie" as love interest Hugo Peabody. Rydell has continued to perform solo and also with "The Golden Boys" including Frankie Avalon and Fabian. Did you know that Rydell High School in the play and film "Grease" is named after none other than Bobby Rydell? Health In his autobiography, "Bobby Rydell: Teen Idol on the Rocks," Bobby revealed that he had earlier suffered from a heavy drinking problem. In 2012, he had a double organ transplant with his liver and one kidney replaced. In 2013, he endured a double-bypass heart surgery. Family Bobby was married to his first wife Camille Quattrone from 1968 until her death from cancer in 2003. He has been married to second wife Linda Hoffman since 2009. ----- The Book: https://amzn.to/2HrXUUS The Podcast on iTunes: https://apple.co/2HGtPQZ Hear, rate and review the Podcast in iTunes! The Donation: https://bit.ly/2IqoJMh]]>06:45noThe Unnatural Donatella VersaceSat, 05 May 2018 01:55:05 +0000Donatella was her brother Gianni's biggest supporter in his fashion line and was by his side when he established his label. Her brother's murder in front of his Miami mansion in July of 1997 would change her life and career.

Donatella, who has enhanced her appearance with rumored botox treatments, a puffier lower lip and possible jaw bone implant, still maintains the year-round tan and blonde locks. But she seems to be more of a caricature of her true self in appearance today. "Natural? What is Natural?," she asks. "I do not believe in totally natural for women. For me, natural has something to do with vegetables. I don't even know what my natural (hair) color is."

]]>06:18cleanThis is Kate Hepburn-Who is Stephen Silverman?Fri, 04 May 2018 02:47:28 +0000Get ready to hear some great tales of film director David Lean (Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia) and Kate Hepburn.

Stephen Silverman is the author of a dozen books, including The Catskills: Its History and How It Changed America; Funny Ladies: One Hundred Years of Great Comediennes; and the critically acclaimed biographies of the filmmakers David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia) and Stanley Donen (Singin’ in the Rain), which featured introductions by Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn, respectively.

]]>16:01cleanJoan Collins' DynastyThu, 03 May 2018 01:56:53 +0000Joan was touted as Twentieth Century Fox's answer to Elizabeth Taylor-the other brunette beauty. She was put under contract but would never attain the top roles like Taylor. Her first film role came at age 19 and she continued with a steady acting career in film and television (Star Trek fans of the original series will remember her as Edith Keeler in the episode called “The City on the Edge of Forever” which aired in April, 1967. Kirk travels back in time and falls in love with Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), but in an interesting twist, Kirk realizes that in order to save his future, he must allow her to die.]]>06:56cleanMr. Showmanship-LiberaceWed, 02 May 2018 17:22:57 +0000Liberace - The Italian-Polish American performer was born in West Allis, Wisconsin in 1919. He began playing the piano at age 4 and performed with the Chicago Symphony at age 20. The classically- trained pianist who was bullied in his youth because of his effeminate behavior turned glitz , glamour , expensive costumes and his signature prop of the candelabra on the piano into high voltage performances on television and in Vegas showrooms. He never talked about his sexuality but initiated a few major libel lawsuits against the press who tried to out him. One British tab even labeled him "a fruit."

The biggest secret he kept was that he was dying of AIDS.

]]>04:48cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,socialselling,tvstars,vintagecelebrityphotographyDo celebrities own their own images?Tue, 01 May 2018 20:06:55 +0000The defining moment of the Catherine Zeta-Jones/ Michael Douglas law suit against Hello! magazine came, surely, when a lawyer superciliously observed that no one offered him a million quid to publish photographs of his wedding. Ms Zeta Jones looked him up and down icily, and said: "Yes. I can understand that."

This podcast is a reading of an article by Philip Hensher,first published in The independent 2/12/2003. Used by permission.

]]>10:34cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,socialselling,tvstars,vintagecelebrityphotographyThe Public Relations Agent and the CelebrityTue, 01 May 2018 01:45:13 +0000Public relations guru David Granoff and his eponymous based firm have represented such luminaries as the late Anna Nicole Smith, Dr. Nicholas Pericone, Whihelmina Models, Alberto Culver, Revlon, Glorida Gaynor, David Edelstein, and The Related Companies, among dozens of others including the legendary Studio 54.

In 2003 David relocated to Miami Beach's South Beach. David served as PR Manager for DCOTA, the Design Center of the Americas. According to its former Executive VP/General Manager, Joan Kerns Kaufman: "The editorial press coverage -- which David was responsible for contained more value column for column than those of the last 10 years combined."

In 1954, Photoplay, the doyen of fan magazines -- it had been around since 1911 publishing feel-good stories written by publicity agents -- printed an article about the early love lives of Jeff Chandler and Susan Hayward, who were childhood friends. The article was flattering, but Chandler, the magazine said, thought it invaded his privacy. So Photoplay polled its readers. The question (accompanied by another full-page glossy of Chandler, beaming) was: Is it proper to write about a star's private life?

]]>16:04cleanactor,actress,adamscull,celebrities,celebrity,celebrityarchaeology,famous,hollywood,moviestars,musicians,paparazzi,photolink,socialselling,tvstars,vintagecelebrityphotographyOn Becoming a Celebrity PhotographerThu, 26 Apr 2018 02:45:08 +0000Adam Scull talks about his becoming a celebrity photographer in the late 1970's and covering the famed Studio 54 in its heyday.

CelebrityArchaeology.com, preserving the art and cultural heritage of celebrity photography from decades past for the benefit of future generations.